Vandals told to ‘wise up’ after Killyleagh bus shelter attack

Vandals told to ‘wise up’ after Killyleagh bus shelter attack

28 November 2018

A WARNING has been issued that repeated vandal attacks on a Killyleagh bus shelter could lead to it being removed.

The Frederick Street shelter has been targeted on four occasions over recent months and has not yet been in place a full year.

Previous attacks prompted Newry, Mourne and Down Council officials to replace large sheets of glass with perspex, but this was damaged in the latest attack two weeks ago. The severity of the attack was such that the perspex was dislodged from its mounting. A timetable was also ripped from its framed holder.

Rowallane councillor Billy Walker, who lobbied for the shelter, branded those responsible for the latest damage as “thugs”.

He urged parents to make sure they know where their children are and warn them of the dangers of getting involved in trouble which could leave them with a criminal record.

“As the person who lobbied to secure the new shelter I can only describe what happened recently as disgusting,” he declared.

“The shelter provides cover for local school children and those who travel to Belfast for work and at this time of the year it is critical that they are protected from the elements.

“The shelter has been targeted by vandals on four occasions since it was put in place and this trouble simply has to stop.”

Cllr Walker said teenagers being blamed for a series of anti-social behaviour incidents across the town over recent weeks needed to “wise up” and revealed he has met twice with local police over recent weeks to discuss the issue.

“The bottom line is that if the shelter is attacked once again, it will most probably have to be removed and that is something no one wants to see. The local council cannot continue to repair the shelter if it is going to be damaged again.

“Incidents such as these do nothing for the image of Killyleagh and while only a small number of young people are involved, the issue is one of major concern. What has been happening is nothing short of disgraceful.”

Cllr Walker believes someone must know who was responsible for damaging the Frederick Street shelter and appealed to those who can help police to contact them or get in touch with him.

“There are a lot of people working hard for the good of the town and its residents and we must do all we can to ensure these greatly appreciated efforts are not undone by little thugs who care little about the consequences of their actions,” he continued.

“Police need to get tough with the law breakers and the courts must hand out penalties

that will deter other young people from engaging in such behaviour. A slap on the wrist is no deterrent to those who get some perverse pleasure out of causing mayhem in Killyleagh.”

Cllr Walker said he was “saddened” at the behaviour of the troublemakers and hopes funding can be secured to revive the town’s former -In youth project which played a key role in getting young people off the streets.

He revealed that when the programme was in full swing there was a 95% decrease in anti-social activity across Killyleagh.

“A cocktail of funding was secured to finance this project but, sadly, ran out. The group was one of the organisations I and fellow Rowallane councillor Terry Andrews raised money for as we recognised the invaluable role it plays,” said Cllr Walker.

He added: “| raised the need to secure fresh funding for the group at a recent inter-agency meeting and hope this can happen sooner rather than later.

“I also believe the district’s Policing and Community Safety Partnership may also be able to help to get this group back up and running. It has proved very effective in the past and I have no doubt can do so again in the future.”