A NORTH Belfast man who was injured after intervening during an altercation between up to 20 youths on the Glider says more needs to be done to get on top of anti-social behaviour aboard the vehicles.
The victim, who asked not to be named, was on the Glider when the incident occurred in the Divis area at around 6.50pm on Easter Sunday.
He suffered injuries to his head and face.
Speaking to the Andersonstown News, he said: “I was in the Rock Bar and was waiting on the Glider to go into Belfast.
“The times kept changing on the board so I walked a bit further down towards the top of Broadway and got on there.
“The Glider was pretty packed. I sat down and noticed a big group of young boys that seemed to be causing a bit of a nuisance. I went down and sort of said for a bit of calm.
"The next thing, there was so much pushing and shoving. I fell back but I now know something was thrown at me because it hit the bridge of my nose and that is what caused the injuries.
"The group seem to have got off but some were trying to get on again as the bus was stopped.
"Fair play to other passengers who gave me tissues and made sure I was okay.
"I went to the Mater Hospital and got checked out. Thankfully my nose isn’t broken. I am just badly cut and bruised."
It’s just the latest incident of anti-social behaviour in recent months on the Glider. The Andersonstown News has reported on assaults on Translink staff as well as attacks on passengers and on the vehicles.
The victim of Sunday's latest incident says more needs to be done to get on top of what’s a growing problem.
"I think there is a real issue with anti-social behaviour on the Glider. These kids are intimidating other passengers.
"What if one of these kids was carrying a knife? How would you stop them?
"I really don’t know what the answer is. I am a regular user of the Glider and it is just getting worse."
Following Sunday's incident, a 15-year-old boy has been charged with common assault and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
The boy is due to appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court on Monday, May 19.
A Translink spokesperson said: “We are aware of the incident reported on Sunday 20th April on a Glider service in West Belfast.
“The safety of our passengers and staff is our top priority.
“We do not tolerate any form of antisocial or criminal behaviour on our services, and we continue to work closely with the PSNI as part of their investigation into this incident.”
