Council and police in plot to tackle youth vandals
POLICE hope new tactics will clean up a primary school which has become a hub for youth anti- social behaviour. Cops are teaming up with local charities and the council in response to a spate of loutish behaviour from young people in Cadder centred around the local primary school.
Cadder Primary’s outdoor classroom is thought to be a beacon for young people looking for a place to take drugs and drink, often resulting in vandalism which wrecks the learning space.
The North Glasgow community’s area partnership has received a bid for a 15- week detached youth work programme which will bring together local charities the G20 Group and Lambhill Stables with specialist cops, the divisional violence reduction unit ( DVRU) and the council people.
The DVRU analyse crime trends across the city and can be deployed to hotspots to help tackle problems.
Bailie Jacqueline McLaren, the chairwoman of the area partnership, hopes that efforts from the council to work with the police, local youths will be led away from antisocial behaviour.
She added: “Young people in the area may relate more easily to other young people who are already engaged in more positive activity and have lived experience of gangs and youth risk- taking behaviours.
“It is hoped the young people will be diverted away from anti- social behaviour and be better placed to make more beneficial lifestyle choices going forward.”
Ms McLaren hopes that the work will begin as soon as possible and will continue until March next year.
We told earlier this week how weekend policing would be stepped up in the area after cops were called to work with young to a scene of “destruction” outdoor classroom.
They found uprooted plants, graffiti and smashed bottles of Buckfast left in the school grounds. at the
The headteacher Mairi Baker said on Thursday: “Each time it happens, there is evidence that the group is growing. The concern now is that the group gathering is getting bigger.”
She added that the children were “very disappointed” their classroom was being wrecked and that the damage was now affecting their learning.
Area Inspector John McCartin, of Maryhill police station, said: “We are aware of community concerns regarding anti- social behaviour in the grounds of a primary school on Herma Street, Glasgow.
“Officers have been working closely with the headteacher and members of the local community to identify those involved, and locals will continue to see additional patrols from our community officers.
“As a member of the Canal Area Partnership, we are working together to address this unacceptable behaviour and keep the area safe and enjoyable for the school pupils to use.”