A police officer is understood to have been rebuked for allowing emotions to get the better of him and saying that people do not know what it is like to work with the “trash” which congregates in Paceville.

While the police officer should have used more temperance, a visit to the nightspot Mecca on a weekend is enough for anyone to come to exactly the same conclusion. In the 1990s, people began to say that Paceville was fast at risk of becoming a den for hedonism and undiluted excess. Sadly, this very much does seem to be the case, especially in the summer months and on the weekends.

The government has tried to regulate and prevent total breakdown in the area, but the fact of the matter is that there are people who go to Paceville specifically to get drunk, take drugs, get into a fight and have a one night stand.

There are a good many youngsters who go there to unwind and have a good time, but the excesses are now reaching spillover point. Residents have been terrorised by drunk yobs and mobs for years. They vomit and urinate on people’s doorsteps and in front gardens, and there have even been reports of defecation and love-making in the early hours of the morning on random porches.

It is also clear that the police force on duty in Paceville on a Saturday night is just simply not enough to cope with the sheer volume of people and incidents that officers have to deal with. Let’s imagine, a scuffle breaks out and five officers are sent to investigate. That leaves only another 10 (a very lenient estimate) to deal with any other trouble that might break out while the others are away.

The police need strengthening in this sector, and perhaps one can look at the UK’s system of Community Officers as a source of inspiration. Put quite frankly, Paceville at night has become a jungle. Teenagers lie passed out in alleyways and on doorsteps, heaving their guts up. Others are completely oblivious to all that goes on around them as the drugs take their toll.

Others soak up the alcohol and go to specifically seek out others for a fight. The situation is unsustainable, and anyone who tries to ignore it is living on another planet. Yes, everyone needs an outlet, and nightclubs and pubs is one way to do it. But lawlessness and sheer anti-social behaviour is another matter entirely. Let us not forget that there are residents involved.