CALSTOCK Parish Council is to write to Chief Inspector John Tucker to complain about the lack of police presence in the area — and one councillor has demanded action over unruly youngsters.
The council voiced its concerns strongly at a recent meeting over limited police coverage.
Cllr Tony Knott said it was embarrassing for the police to have to admit there was so little cover in such a large area.
He proposed that the council should ask for every endeavour to be made to keep a policeman on the spot.
'They say burglary is down, but the criminals come out here from Plymouth. A lot of burglary goes on,' he said.
'We should not be prepared to accept such poor quality policing.'
Chairman Ian Kirk said: 'I don't disagree with you, but the whole rural part of Caradon suffers the same way and wants more police presence.'
Cllr Dulcie Stephens said it was important for people to report crimes, otherwise the police could not be expected to give more help.
The council heard that there were 89 police allocated to the area, but sometimes there were only nine on duty at night, when police were most needed.
It was agreed to write to Chief Inspector Tucker, Commander for the Caradon area, seeking more support.
Mr Parker, one of three village representatives on the Calstock Parish Council, told Sir John Evans, Chief Constable for Devon and Cornwall, he kept watch on the waterfront during a Friday night in September.
He said he saw 'gangs of youths', both male and female, in varying states of intoxication, with beer glasses and bottles which, when emptied, were 'thrown or smashed as the whim occurred'.
Mr Parker said one young man had vomited in the road, then climbed into a car vomiting out of the window, before driving off at speed.
In his letter, Mr Parker said the young people were getting their drink from somewhere outside the village and many appeared to be under age.
He wrote: 'I have been told this particular Friday was reasonably quiet. If that is so, I would hate to be walking around Calstock on a busy night.'
Mr Parker asked the police to take action and suggested breath tests, patrols and undercover observation. He sent a copy of his letter to South East Cornwall MP Colin Breed and all local councillors.
Mr Parker raised the issue at the recent parish council meeting, but after lengthy discussion council chairman Mr Ian Kirk said he did not think the council could usefully pursue the matter any further and it was dropped.
The inspector responsible for Calstock, Craig Downham, said a couple of plain clothes officers had been deployed following Mr Parker's letter, but reported the village was 'fairly quiet'.
He said they were not saying there was not a problem, but the police was largely a reactive force and the problem of youths congregating was sporadic.
Insp Downham added that it was impractical to keep a permanent police presence in the village, especially as there had been no calls logged in the last five months about problems of youths congregating on the quay.
He said officers would be talking to residents to see if there was a problem that had gone unreported.
He also said they had investigated various other complaints of under-age drinking in the village, but found them to be unsubstantiated.
However, a 'test purchasing' strategy was being developed across the district to investigate complaints of sales to young people.
Ian Jeffrey, landlord at the Riverside, who runs a strict policy on under-age drinking, believed youngsters were getting the alcohol elsewhere.
He said the products they were drinking were not sold in the village pubs.
'I haven't seen violence and mayhem. It's just youngsters having fun,' he said.
Avron Levine-White, owner of the village shop and off-licence, said: 'We have a very firm policy for under-age drinking.
'Unless they produce some form of identity they can't get anything, and if we think older people are buying for the youngsters we won't sell it to them either.'