Bantaskine residents turn spotlight on anti-social behaviour

A residents group formed out of lockdown is helping to target attention on to anti-social behaviour.

Bantaskine Tenants And Residents’ Association, which started out as a Facebook page, Bantaskin Blether, has helped police identify key areas.

On the back of its reports, officers are currently looking into speeding vehicles and car vandalism on Windsor Road, youth disorder at Summerford Park, and garages at Greenbank court being used as drinking dens.

The group has also worked with Falkirk Council on local safety issues including traffic calming measures.

The group, which has grown to a membership of over 850, was launched after concerned residents highlighted rising vandalism in the area.

They contacted councillor Lorna Binnie and engaged with their local community police officer.

Most recently, the group has been pushing for a new green space for the community.

Falkirk Council has identified three possible areas, with the final decision to be made this week.

One of the founders, hairdresser, Linda Struthers, said: “We set up the page just before lockdown to keep an eye on crime in the area. The whole thing just snowballed.

“The association was set up just five weeks ago and we’re already looking at a new outdoor area for everyone to exercise or socialise.

“There is no public park in Bantaskine which was highlighted by the lockdown. Children have nowhere to go after school so the community has really been spurring us on.

“We’ve also been pushing for traffic-calming measures to keep our children safe, and if the council refuses to invest we’ll raise the funds ourselves.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V