Northern Ireland

Offenders drafted in to Belfast `Holylands' to clean up after freshers week students

Offenders taking part in the Holylands clean up
Offenders taking part in the Holylands clean up Offenders taking part in the Holylands clean up

OFFENDERS have been drafted in to the Holylands in the university area of Belfast to clean up after students caused chaos as they marked `freshers week'.

Probation Board NI (PBNI) confirmed it had dispatched "a number of squads" to work "closely" alongside Belfast City Council's Graffiti Removal Service during the week.

"People subject to Community Service Orders, under the supervision of the Probation Service, have contributed to cleaning up the Holylands following the recent disturbances," a spokesman said.

Residents in the south Belfast area bordering the Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) campus, complained of late-night noise and on-street drinking as students moved into the neighbourhood for the new university term.

Police have made a number of arrests, with 14 reports made to QUB and Ulster University authorities.

The late night partying resulted in broken glass from bottles of alcohol littering the streets among other detritus.

The council insisted it is working in partnership with the universities and other agencies to address anti-social behaviour concerns, with proactive patrols by its community safety team increased to target anti-social behaviour including on-street drinking.

The PBNI spokesman said it was a constructive use of offenders.

"Community Service is one of the most successful court sentences in terms of preventing re-offending," he said.

"Three out of four people who complete community service do not re-offend within one year. This was recognised in a Criminal Justice Inspection report which stated, `The value of offenders undertaking unpaid work as reparation for their offending should not be under-estimated and the Community Service scheme has potential to deflect many more people from custody'."