FREE wi-fi in the Mall will be disconnected at nights to try keep children from loitering there.
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The three-month trial comes after Armidale police recorded a number of assaults in the area between midnight and 1am.
Senior constable David Gaynor said an emerging trend for adolescents was to congregate around the Visitor Information Centre car park behind Hungry Jacks in Marsh Street.
The fast-food outlet now switches off its free wi-fi when it closes to discourage the group.
But that has simply pushed the teens into the Mall, where they use the free wi-fi and power points to charge phones.
“Having a large number of people in one area can result in a group mentality that is more difficult to control,” Constable Gaynor told the latest meeting of the Community Safety committee.
Police Aboriginal Liaison Officer Will Green said he had seen children as young as 11 on the streets after midnight.
They watched patrons leaving nearby pubs and picking drunken fights. Police provided a foot patrol where they helped many of the children home late at night.
But funding cuts meant this service ended at midnight.
“Many of the kids come back after they’ve been dropped home,” Mr Green said.
“Parents also need to be held accountable for their children’s safety and whereabouts.” The trial comes just over a year after Armidale Dumaresq Council installed the free wireless internet access point to invigorate business in the CBD.
General manager Glenn Wilcox will ensure the wi-fi and power points are switched off between 7pm and 7am every night.