Young people are to be asked to design a piece of art to be incorporated on to a bus shelter in Portadown as part of a project aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour.
It follows reports by the PSNI to the ABC Council’s Policing and Community Safety Partnership of “increased incidents” within the Killicomaine estate.
And recently, at the September meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, it was agreed to give the go-ahead to the project, which centres around a council-owned bus shelter.
A report to last Monday’s meeting explained: “In order to help reduce these incidents and to engage with the young people who are involved, the PSNI Neighbourhood Policing Team are proposing an art engagement project.
“This will include issue based workshops and an art project on the council-owned bus shelter.”
The project will include a number of elements, including an initial engagement evening nicknamed ‘Pizza with the Peelers’, which will involve young people and community representatives.
There will be four ‘issue-based’ sessions with PSNI, young people and community representatives which will include anti-social behaviour, respect of each other and the area they live in and hate crime.
The report to council explained: “The bus shelter which is owned by council has also been identified as part of the project.
“The aim is to work with the young people who are engaging in anti-social behaviour and the community to design a piece of artwork which they will then transfer on to the bus shelter.
“This will provide the young people with ownership, show that they are giving back to their own community and increase confidence in police.
“In addition, the initiative will help improve community relations and provide the young people with an understanding of how their actions affect their own community and the further consequences anti-social behaviour and low level crime could have on their future.
“Ultimately, it will help improve the quality of life for the area.
“The image on the bus shelter will be a reminder to the community of the initiative and hopefully all the community will take ownership for keeping it vandalism free.”
Council officers will circulate draft images to Portadown-based councillors prior to agreeing to the art installation.
The project is due to be completed by October 31 to coincide with Hallowe’en and to help prevent and reduce anti-social behaviour.
The PSNI Neighbourhood Team are currently working with community representatives and PCSP on financial support application to fund the project, which received approval from council to proceed on Monday.
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