Hats off as PSNI Students complete Garvaghy Cares challenge

It’s been great having support from Business in the Community. Local residents always regarded this area as a neglected eyesore so it’s great to see the place spruced up!

Yvonne Sterritt Community Development Worker

Dedicated PSNI student officers have completed a Business in the Community Cares Challenge in the Garvaghy area of Portadown.

Big hearted recruits from the police service armed themselves with brushes and paints to remove graffiti from local walls. As well as this, a huge litter-pick took place, filling three skips with discarded refuse and the officers also cleared away brambles, hedging and gorse regarded as an eyesore by locals.

Business Objective

The PSNI have been working with Business in the Community for a number of years to help strengthen their Corporate Responsibility strategy. As a result they committed to put all their students through team building challenges to help integrate and put them in the heart of local communities across Northern Ireland.

Sergeant Roy Burnside, who co-ordinated this particular challenge, commented on the benefits of the challenge; “Students attending the PSNI training college have traditionally spent time working on environmental challenges and voluntary community projects. A considerable amount of the Student Officer’s training is in the area of Police and Community Relationships, have a strong emphasis on Policing with the Community, Problem Solving and Community Safety.”

This was a mammoth task, as this area had been used for illegal dumping and the undergrowth was very bad, and a path which is used by residents was almost covered. On arrival, the PSNI Cadets set about clearing the area and painting out the graffiti. The difference the students made to this area has been welcomed and very much appreciated by the entire area. It certainly has improved the quality of life for the residents of the immediate area in Garvaghy Park. A pensioner actually come over to thank everyone for all the hard work and what a difference it made having the wall painted, she said it was a pleasure to look out her kitchen window now.

Mrs Yvonne Strerritt, Community Development Worker, Garvaghy Road and Drumcree Area commented; “This project has certainly brought Policing to another new level. By offering their services to Business in the Community, and kindly offering to come to Garvaghy Road to do a cleanup, this is sure proof that we have all come so far in the peace process. A significant day for policing, and, another significant day for Garvaghy Road.”

For more information the Cares programme please contact Hilary Dickson on Tel: (028) 9046 0606 or e-mail hilary.dickson@bitcni.org.uk. 

Impact

  • The challenges the students undertake with Business in the Community provide an opportunity to engage in local initiatives with local people
  • The challenges provide assistance to local communities while reinforcing to the PSNI students that an essential part of their work when they eventually graduate as Constables is establishing and working in partnerships with communities and related organisations
  • Business in the Community helps companies act responsibly through employee volunteering, including team and individual opportunities, enabling people expand their skills in a totally new environment
  • Local residents passing by were delighted at the work and thanked the Officers