BY MEGAN CONROY
OVER 250 local pupils attended the Alley Theatre last week for a major Strabane District Policing Partnership (DPP) conference on drug abuse and sexual assaults.
The talk, which was aimed at heightening awareness of some of the more serious issues facing young people, has been hailed as a huge success.
Commenting on the day's events, during which pupils were handed out information on personal safety and drug misuse, Holy Cross College pupil Stacey Stewart said, "I found the conference very interesting. I discovered just how many drugs are readily available to us, and how to avoid getting involved in certain situations."
Thanking pupils for their input into the days proceedings, DPP vice-chair Ms Noelle Donnell said, "Strabane DPP is delighted that all secondary and grammar schools have been able to participate in this event. The information and advice provided by PSNI will enable students to make informed choices in the future. This is certainly a major step forward."
The PSNI then provided a detailed report of policing in the area, which showed that crime across the board had reduced between April and June this year. The police also faced tough questioning from school pupils regarding the problems of anti-social behaviour, young drivers and the safer centre scheme.
DPP chairmen Eugene Mc Menamin added, "I wish to thank the PSNI for their detailed report and commend local police for achieving a significant reduction in total crime for the first three months of the year. We commend local police for exceeding the targets set for both violent crime and criminal damage. Unfortunately, anti-social behaviour is still on the increase and we acknowledge that police are tackling this problem by using high visibility patrolling in hotspot areas and enforcing ASBO's as a deterrent to future offenders."
Closing the meeting, PSNI Inspector Whitie Anderson remained confident that their determination to drive down crime will continue.
"Police in the Strabane Area will continue to deliver an effective service to all sections of the community and we will continue to work in partnership to achieve this," he said.
