Town trouble crack down

Coleraine police are asking for the assistance of the public as they bid to crack down on anti social behaviour and assaults in the town centre.

Last week they launched ‘Operation Zinc’, which aims to identify suspects and stop this dangerous crime trend.

Inspector Catherine Magee explained: “Police have received reports of assaults being committed in the middle of town involving young men.

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“We believe that these assaults have sometimes taken the form of pre-arranged fights.

“Police are committed to cracking down on this and Operation Zinc seeks to identify suspects and stop this dangerous crime trend.

“There is also a safety message at the heart of Operation Zinc - one punch can kill and fighting is not a recreational activity or a way to amuse or prove yourself. Police will not tolerate this anywhere, let alone in the town centre.”

The PSNI Inspector went on: “So far, we have arrested 16 suspects for a total of 36 offences including, assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Plans are in place to arrest and interview more people and we also ask members of the public to come forward if they know names of people they think are involved”

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Specifically police would like people to come forward if they witnessed suspected assaults or anti-social behaviour in the following instances:

01 June at 01:00 - Bridge Street onto Old Bridge

09 June at 01:00 - Railway Place, Railway Road and the top of Union Street

13 June at 20:00 - Bushmills Road, Railway Crossing, Union Street and Anderson Park

You can contact Coleraine on 0845 600 8000. If anyone would prefer to provide information without giving their details, they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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