Council appoints park yob buster

Laura Hamill said people are fed up

Belfast City Council has appointed an anti-social behaviour co-ordinator to help the public feel safer in the city's parks and leisure facilities.

Laura Hamill aims to develop plans for eight pilot sites across the city identified as problem areas.

She said they would work with the community and other agencies to improve the situation.

She said people were "fed up" with bad behaviour in the areas and that they would educate and enforce.

The action plans used in the affected areas could be the template for dealing with anti-social behaviour across the city's leisure facilities.

"It's hoped that through those we will be able to demonstrate other ways that might be transferable to roll out across the city, hopefully, and to be able to learn some lessons," she said.

PILOT AREAS Woodvale Waterworks Dunville Park Falls Leisure Centre Ballysillan Park & Leisure Centre Falls Park & Cemetery Orangefield Cherryvale Ormeau Avenue Leisure Centre

The council intends to educate, enforce by-laws, use diversionary methods and prosecute offenders even using Asbos (anti-social behaviour orders).

"Some people are so fed up with the anti-social behaviour they would be of the opinion that they shouldn't be allowed into the parks - people who are hell-bent on creating havoc," she said.

However, she added that there was also the attitude that education, possibly through peer education using Belfast Youth Forum could be a way forward.

She said that the facilities, other users and council staff had to be respected.

She said that complaints about anti-social behaviour in parks should be made to the council who would log them to identify hot-spots and peak times for trouble.