Omagh ‘one of the safest places to live’ in the North

AN Omagh neighbourhood police sergeant has said recent viral videos showing schoolchildren fighting have gained attention precisely because such incidents are rare in the area.

Over the past 18 months, three videos involving fights between young people in Omagh and surrounding areas have been widely shared online.

However, Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Jonny Hamill believes this reflects how uncommon such events are.

“Omagh is statistically one of the safest places to live in Northern Ireland,” said Sgt Hamill. “These are isolated incidents, and the filming for social media is a relatively new trend.

“People now tend to take out their phones to record instead of calling the police or seeking help, but we’d much rather they did the latter.”

Sgt Hamill said such footage wouldn’t gain the same traction in larger cities.

“If a similar video emerged from Belfast or Derry, people wouldn’t bat an eyelid. But in Omagh, because it’s so rare, it spreads far more quickly.”

He added: “We have good schools and strong communities in Omagh. Alongside neighbourhood policing teams, we’re working hard to keep it that way.”

However, Sgt Hamill acknowledged the impact of the incidents on everyone involved.

“For the victim, it’s traumatic enough, but having the video shared prolongs that trauma when they return to school and strangers are talking about it.

“And for the perpetrators, there can be serious consequences. From age ten, young people can be held criminally responsible. Offences like assault or disorderly behaviour can result in a criminal record, which could affect job or volunteer opportunities. Employers may even find these videos online years later.

“Once a video is out there, it’s out there for good. You lose control over it completely.”

Sgt Hamill said that the neighbourhood policing teams will be liaising with schools, parents and youth groups to highlight the importance of staying safe online.

“We are here to help. We want people to come to us with any concerns they have, whether it be regarding staying safe online. At the end of the day, this is the modern world and the issues around social media pose a new challenge to society.”

Sgt Hamill concluded: “In general, I don’t believe these types of incidents are increasing. They’ve remained about the same – it’s just that these recent ones were more widely shared, which made them seem more significant than they actually were.”