Asbo calls given the boot by portable football pitch

Published on Thursday 27 March 2008 09:16

A MOBILE football pitch has been credited with reducing antisocial behaviour in Leith.

The five-a-side facility is transported on the back of a truck and will be rolled out twice a week by police and used by youth clubs.

Leith police station, which receives an average of 15 calls a night about antisocial behaviour, was called just once on the night the pitch was launched last week. Now it is hoped it will provide a permanent solution to vandalism and violence carried out by young people and improve relations between them and community police officers.

Pc Andy Johnson, of Leith police's neighbourhood action unit, said officers were hoping to build on the pitch's good start, which saw 70 youngsters turn up for a game.

He said: "As soon as we started putting up the pitch kids were turning up to see what we were doing. They then went off and told their friends.

"We are going to be using it to target areas where we are getting a lot of problems – it won't just be set up willy nilly.

"We hope to use it about twice a week and youth clubs in Leith will get it the rest of the time.

"The youths around here are always saying there's nothing for them to do and now they can see that we have provided something for them."

Pc Johnson said police had already seen the pitch having an impact on relations in the community.

"Now, when we get a call and arrive where there is a group of kids, instead of running away they can talk to us," he said. "The pitch builds trust and is really breaking down barriers."

Hibs players Andy McNeil and Lewis Stevenson, and Michael Stewart of Hearts, were at the launch night last week at the Newkirkgate Shopping Centre.

The portable pitch can be laid out and packed in a few minutes, and the quality underfoot is as good as that of a standard five-a-side surface.

Leith councillor Gordon Munro said the pitch was a welcome tool in the fight against crime in the area that had the full support of local organisations.

He said: "The need for the pitch was identified by youth workers, the police and young people themselves. A lot of work has gone in to the procurement of this facility, which is a good example of neighbourhood partnerships and planning in action.

"When this has been brought in before it resulted in a huge drop in calls, and I'm sure it will be the same now."