Morning everyone on this very cold Friday morning! Firstly, can I urge caution when considering your journey this morning due to the adverse weather conditions and last night PSNI were forced to close road due to the snow.

The problem of anti-social behaviour has been well documented in Portadown, as well as, across the county. In January, a police officer was seriously assaulted while responding to growing concerns around a group of teenagers wreaking havoc in the Meadows Lane area.

Last weekend, the PSNI took to the beat and stepped up patrols in the Garavagh Road area of the town in a bid to dispel this activity.

Speaking to Armagh I, Neighbourhood Sergeant Moore said: “Local Neighbourhood officers carried out patrols in the Garvaghy Road area of Portadown on Saturday March 4, as part of a proactive approach to monitoring and addressing anti-social behaviour in the area.

Whilst there were no reports made to police at the time, officers will maintain a presence in the area”.

Over in Banbridge the Neighbourhood Policing Team received a report of a life buoy ring having been thrown into the river unnecessarily by a group of youths at Dromore Park.

The PSNI highlighted the seriousness with Inspector Tate saying “these devices save lives and stealing or vandalising them cost lives. Removing or damaging lifesaving equipment can have fatal consequences. If the equipment is not there when it is really needed the outcome can be very tragic”.

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Thankfully the PSNI retrieved the life buoy ring on this occasion. A further three life rings were recovered from the path along the Gilford river walk on Monday.

Life rings are strategically placed at various locations and are there for the reason of saving lives. Those involved in the removal or damage of this vital equipment need to carefully examine their actions.

If you see any anti-social behaviour, consider the impact this could be having on vulnerable people in society. Reporting this can create opportunities for intervention and prevention by police and other partners.

Reporting crimes or incidents that impact on your quality of life helps focus patrols where they are needed and take positive action. Call PSNI on 101, report online at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport or speak directly to your Neighbourhood Team.

In the headlines

WATCH: The moment a woman stole from a child’s charity box.

The owner of a Banbridge dessert bar has branded a former employee "despicable" after she stole from a child's charity box. Sarah Lindsey Dudley, from Cordrain Road in Tandragee, who appeared in court on Thursday had initially denied the single charge of theft.

Conor Crilly knew all too well the devastating impact that drug addictions can have on lives and communities when he set up the Armagh Drug Addiction Recovery Group (A.D.A), which met for the first time on Friday, March 3.

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A Lurgan baby boy being pushed in a pram died after being struck by a lorry in Moira on Wednesday afternoon.

A death notice described the one-year-old, from College Grove in the town, as the precious son of Fra and Mary and a much loved grandson of Pauline and the late Francis McIlduff and Margaret and Michael Gracey.

Newry council’s new headquarters will lead to job losses branded ‘fake news’

Council set to increase dog fouling fines to £120 in hope owners ‘get the message’

A major Newry city centre housing development at the former site of a nuns’ convent has been approved.

A group of young musicians from County Armagh have been handed the opportunity of a lifetime to perform in New York City on St Patrick’s Day.

A murder investigation has been launched after a Banbridge father-of-two died in hospital weeks after a serious assault in Belfast.

Co Armagh affected as Met Office issue amber weather warning for snow

Yesterday, March 9, marked the 14th anniversary since the senseless murder of police officer Stephen Carroll.

The PSNI officer who was murdered in Craigavon was the first serving PSNI officer killed since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, signed 25 years ago this April. On responding to a staged incident in the Craigavon area a gunman shot Constable Carroll from 50 metres away with an AK-47 while in his patrol car.

This week following the attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell, Crimestoppers charity announced an increased reward of £150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the attempted murder of the senior high-profile police officer.

On Wednesday, a murder investigation was launched after a Banbridge father-of-two died in hospital weeks after a serious assault in Belfast. Colin Prime who was a serving Police Officer, was off-duty at the time of the assault had been in a critical condition following the incident on Belfast’s Malone Road in the early hours of Sunday, January 29.

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Look Back

In our last newsletter we discussed the recent implementation of Translink fare price hikes (and price hikes in general) so we decided to take a look back to the height of the 2008 recession.

It was an all too familiar landscape. A flip through the pages of The Armagh-Down Observer’s January issues revealed myriad budget cuts - from a proposed £25 million reduction in funding to The Southern Health and Social Care Trust (threatening 1000 front line jobs) to the axing of 5 rural Co. Armagh post offices.

Armagh I Newsletter

Price hikes all around us from our rates to our bus fares, how is it affecting you?

Commuting - it’s part and parcel of our daily lives. It doesn’t matter if you are 15 minutes or 15 miles from work, we all commute, unless of course you work from home (and perhaps working from home is an option needed if you are a public transport user…

14 days ago · 1 like · Armagh I

The most startling perhaps - for its familiarity - were the proposed cuts to Youth Service provision - an issue we have been covering at length over the last few months, from Dungannon to Crossmaglen.

On January 17, 2008 The Armagh-Down Observer reported that the Draft Programme for Government had proposed a 7% reduction in funding for Youth Services. In a similar rhetoric, Councillor Pat McGinn argued that the cuts would directly effect the most disadvantaged and deprived areas.

Previous editions:

Six weeks of hell ended with one Armagh I story

The great debate: Are town centres a thing of the past?

Teen sexually harassed by boss in Armagh ice-cream parlour awarded £54,000

Not all tip-offs make the news...

Armagh I Newsletter

Anti-social behaviour prevention in Portadown…