Cllr Stephen Cooper today met with Superintendent Brian Kee and Inspector Davy Lindsay as part of an ongoing campaign to stamp out antisocial behaviour in the Comber area.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Cooper said:
‘I have been holding a number of meetings over the last week to engage with relevant agencies to see how best to tackle the ongoing problem of antisocial behaviour. This culminated today in listening to the PSNI command and a detailed discussion of plans to clampdown on ASB in my hometown.
“I outlined the need for extra Police presence on the ground, especially around several hotspots and the need for direct action against the culprits to deter them and in some cases, seek prosecutions for repeat offenders.
“The Commander shared my view that a concerted effort was required and gave me a commitment that he would support myself and other agencies in our determined effort to deal with this problem once and for all and increase uniformed officers on weekends to curb the inconsiderate actions of a small group who are causing significant upset to locals.
“To date, I have met with Council directors, the ASB team, youth workers and today the PSNI.
” All of these bodies have a role to play in combating ASB, as well as councillors, but more importantly, I am appealing for the local community to get behind this initiative and support us by reporting anything untoward they come across or witness. I would also appeal to parents as it is absolutely imperative people understand the repercussions of young people being arrested and prosecuted for criminal damage, or worse.
“A criminal record may prohibit entrance into certain employment and may prevent some from travelling to the USA, Australia and other destinations in the future.
“I look forward to working together for the benefit of everyone in the community and over the next few weeks, the people of Comber will hopefully see for themselves the efforts we will go to in ensuring antisocial behavior is confronted and dealt with adequately.”