A gang of youths terrorised customers and staff at a cafe in the heart of Inverness – just days after police chiefs promised a crackdown on city centre yobs.
The owners of Buonissimo Italian Street Food on the city’s High Street said a group of up to 10 teenagers targeted the eatery, sending scared diners fleeing in horror.
And they criticised the police for taking two hours to respond to the call, despite the force having recently vowed to double the number of “bobbies on the beat” in the city centre.
Andrea Miola, who owns and runs the cafe with his wife, Federica, said the cafe had been targeted on numerous occasions, but the incident on Saturday was the worst, forcing customers to “run away, scared and annoyed”.
He told the Press and Journal: “What happened was very, very serious. A group of eight to 10, aged between 15 and 17, I don’t know, acted in a crazy way.
“They started to assault the area outside. They got the table and chairs, put them on the floor, damaging the chairs. One or two of them stole a chair.
“My customers of course were scared but it’s not the first time it has happened. It’s annoying, it’s very stressful.”
The incident emerged just days after the north’s new police chief, George MacDonald, told the Press and Journal he was doubling the number of officers dedicated to the city centre to eight, promising to deliver “sustained and consistent changes”.
But Mr Miola said: “I called the police at 4pm. First the girl who received my call held the call for 15 minutes, asking me everything.
“I explained what was happening but she almost asked me the size of my shoes at the moment the group were continuing to destroy everything.
“The thing is the police didn’t come, it was very strange. Nearly two hours passed and I stopped a car of police on the High Street. They weren’t coming to me but I stopped it and explained what had happened.
“I’m very surprised because I thought the police was going to double the number of officers here but yesterday no-one was in the High Street.”
Last night, a police spokesman said: “Police were called to a disturbance on Inverness High Street on the afternoon of Saturday, September 23.
“On arrival at the scene officers dealt with the incident quickly and four teenagers were subsequently traced and have been dealt with appropriately.
“Antisocial behaviour in the city centre or anywhere else is unacceptable. We are committed to working with our partners to ensure that the city centre is safe environment for the people who live, visit and work there.”
Councillor Ken Gowans said: “What is happening in and around Inverness? It is high time this sort of anti-social behaviour was eradicated.
“We need to think very seriously about the culture that has grown up in recent years in the city centre and around some retail parks too. How it is tackled is a matter of urgency.
“This needs an urgent multi-agency approach and fast action. We are, after all, supposed to be a tourist destination. It is quite shocking really.”
