INCIDENTS of anti-social behaviour in Princetown have been thankfully toned down since villagers decided ?enough was enough? at a meeting last month. PC Dave Pickles said the police had made special efforts to patrol the village both during the day and in the evenings. They found that feedback from the public had been positive and confirmed the village had been much quieter since many residents expressed frustrations at the parish council meeting last month. PC Pickles has been working with PCSOs Mark Canvin and Rob Walsh to patrol the Princetown, Yelverton and Horrabridge areas. He told the Times: ?The message was put out loud and clear by the community that they would not tolerate this anti-social behaviour. ?There has been an effect on the young people and we have noticed that numbers of groups are not on streets so often. Some have definitely tempered their behaviour. PC Pickles said the police would continue the work of the neighbourhood team to work with both the community and young people to improve the situation. ?The meeting did have some effects and there has been more effort in the neighbourhood to work positively with young people.? He said he visited the youth club in Princetown on Wednesday and was impressed by the ?positive approach? of youngsters and staff there, where programmes such as music sessions and other activities have all been well received. PC Pickles added: ?This has been a joint effort by the community, the police and young people themselves. The kids are responding in a positive way and the few individuals who do cause trouble are modifying their behaviour. ?Its a continual process which we will keep up and hope the public continue to communicate any anti-social issues to us in the future.? David Fisher, the chairman of Dartmoor Forest Parish Council, said he hoped the recent quieter trend will continue. He said the council was talking with Horrabridge Parish Council, to see if both councils could do something either individually or together to find solutions to anti-social behaviour. One such possibly was discussing the use of such measures as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders if necessary. David said: ?Since our last meeting the number of incidents has thankfully gone down and there has been some improvement in the situation. Hopefully, this will continue.?
