LOCALS call it "Wee Chicago", where gangsters rule by violence and intimidation. But this is not gangland America, or even Glasgow's underworld.

This is the tiny former mining village of Muirkirk - deep in the heart of justice minister Cathy Jamieson's parliamentary constituency - where a Sunday Herald investigation can reveal that policies put in place by the Scottish Executive to tackle anti-social behaviour, violent crime and drug dealing are failing.

Just days after claims by Jamieson that Scotland was becoming safer, our investigation has found the Ayrshire community at the end of its tether and terrorised by drugs gangs. In a village of just 1200 people, we can reveal that the area has been the centre of a staggering catalogue of criminality. This has included a wave of beatings and serious assaults; threats of violence; houses being petrol-bombed; primary school children being threatened with baseball bats in the playground; windows being smashed and families forced to leave the area after intimidation.

Violence in Muirkirk has become so bad that residents have been offered placements on the police witness protection programme. One was recently warned by police not to go to work because officers had received intelligence he was to be shot.

Residents who agreed to speak to us would only do so on the condition of anonymity.

They claim that crime in the area, in large part, can be placed at the door of one family. It is claimed that the family - who cannot be named for legal reasons - have been allowed to operate a reign of terror for years.

Promises made by the justice minister to get tough on crime have, say residents, been broken in her own constituency. One said: "It's got to the point where enough is enough. This community is living in fear and those responsible are being allowed to get away with it.

"For all her talk about getting tough on criminals, Cathy Jamieson has done nothing in Muirkirk. She knows about the problems, believe me.

"One family in particular are terrorising this place, they stop in the car and make cut-throat signs or a sign as if they're shooting a gun at you through the window, for no other reason than they know they can get away with it.

"My ambition in life is to be able to walk my grandweans down the street without being terrorised or feeling afraid."

She added: "Is she [Cathy Jamieson] waiting for someone to be murdered here before she'll do anything? That's what is going to happen if no action is taken."

The resident talked of instances in the village where a 30-year-old man was beaten so badly in an unprovoked attack that he can no longer walk without the aid of a Zimmer frame. Despite the severity of the attack, he refused to make a statement to police because he feared for his life.

Another man had his house petrol-bombed after he complained about drug dealing in the village. In another instance, a woman's sons and husband were attacked. Entire families have been attacked or driven from the area as a result of abuse.

Businesses have been vandalised and on one occasion a group of adults turned up with baseball bats at the primary school, threatening children.

According to the woman, staff at the school were afraid to contact the police because they feared the consequences.

Another resident said: "It's like a bad cowboy movie, where the gangsters are in total control. It's like the Wild West out here. Muirkirk is a small community that has been abandoned."

Letters sent to the justice minister over the last few years, seen by the Sunday Herald, have warned of the growing crisis in her constituency.

A recent letter reads: "There is a culture in Muirkirk whereby crimes, particularly involving drugs and violence, have long gone unreported for fear of recrimination. There is a long-standing history of previous reports of crimes not being acted upon by Cumnock police."

The letter concludes: "Given the news that Scotland has been recognised by the UN as the world's most violent country, a zero tolerance message needs to be sent out by you, our elected representative, that Scotland will not tolerate drugs gangs intimidating the community."

The investigation by the Sunday Herald will blow open the debate on anti-social behaviour and crime in Scotland. The findings will also be deeply embarrassing for Jamieson, who last week tried to play down figures that showed a rise in violent crimes, assaults, vandalism and gun crime.

Official crime statistics showed that, across Scotland, police had to deal with a staggering 1,071,075 cases - up 5% on the previous year.

Announcing the statistics, Jamieson blamed the rise on new methods of recording crime. She said: "These statistics do not mean that crime is on the up. We are making strides in helping people live safer lives."

However, at a time when the Scottish Executive has been trumpeting a range of measures to tackle criminal behaviour, our investigation will call into question whether these policies are working.

In Muirkirk, as the crime figures were being prepared for release, two children were moved from their home amid fears for their safety. The boys, aged 12 and 13, had found holdalls filled with drugs and a loaded handgun while playing in woods near their home.

Some residents who spoke to the Sunday Herald said they had stopped going to the police in Cumnock and instead had begun approaching officers miles away in Kilmarnock because of the "restrained attitude" the Cumnock police seemed to have in dealing with allegations of crime in Muirkirk.

Another resident said:

"Anyone who comes to this place will see that something is very, very wrong here."

SNP deputy justice spokesman Stewart Stevenson is to raise the matter with the minister. He called the situation "utterly unacceptable".

Last night, Jamieson said she was "always available" to discuss issues with her constituents. A Scottish Executive spokesman added that ministers had tough policies in place to deal with crime.

He said: "It is precisely because of the public's concerns about the increasing incidence of anti-social crimes in Scotland that this Executive introduced the anti-social behaviour legislation to the Scottish parliament.

"We are actively encouraging people to come forward and report such incidents to the relevant authorities, so that action can be taken to address this problem - not sweep it under the carpet and expect people to suffer in silence."

liam. mcdougall@sundayherald. com