Trustee of New Bury Community Centre, on Howard estate in Bury St Edmunds, provides update on anti-social behaviour

Police have said they are working with a community centre in Bury St Edmunds to address anti-social behaviour.

Tom Murray, a trustee of the New Bury Community Centre on the Howard estate, gave an update on the situation at the two-year-old building at the last Bury St Edmunds Town Council meeting.

He said four ‘youths’ were in the centre on Monday, January 15, ‘making a nuisance of themselves’ by throwing chairs around and climbing on the furniture.

However, centre manager and trustee Debbie Carthy told SuffolkNews that while about six months ago they were suffering with ‘horrendous anti-social behaviour’ the problem had since died down. She said in the past children as young as nine had been involved.

At the town council meeting, on January 24, PCSO Mark Ellis said it mostly happened in the evenings.

He said he had visited the centre the day of the meeting, adding ‘we are tasked to visit regularly’.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman told SuffolkNews: “We are aware of reports of ASB [anti-social behaviour] in the New Bury Community Centre area.

“To address the issue we are working with trustees and staff at the centre. We also have an ongoing engagement plan with the centre to do regular drop-in sessions and a cycle marking event.

"We also actively encourage reporting of all incidents, and in response to recent ASB reports police are arranging to review the CCTV.

“We are conscious that anti-social behaviour is a real concern and the detriment it can cause an area for many so we continue to encourage members of the public to contact us online or via 101 should they witness ASB and we will respond accordingly.”

Debbie said they were installing a key code system to prevent young people causing a nuisance there in the evenings as only people attending groups would be able to access the building.

Speaking of trying to work with young people, she said they were looking at putting on an eight-week programme to create a mural there.

“But when we are not doing stuff, they need to be respectful of the place,” she added.

Speaking of the latest incident, Tom said: “It’s just a few people once again spoiling it for everybody else. I’m willing to go and speak to them, ‘what would you like from your community centre?’ It’s theirs, not mine.

“But we do have a duty to report all these matters to the police.”