ROWDY behaviour by young people in Tavistock town centre has sparked a new campaign by police, determined to clamp down on problems, including late night drinking and drug abuse. To be launched next week, the town centre will have a dedicated police community support officer ? and police are asking parents to do all they can to help stamp out anti-social behaviour, particularly involving alcohol. The move follows several weekends during the summer in which there were multiple incidents of criminal damage. And last Saturday there was an assault in Bank Square during the early hours, following which two people were taken to Derriford Hospital, one requiring urgent surgery to reset and plate a broken jaw. Sgt Richard Nettleship, West Devon?s neighbourhood beat manager, said during the last few weeks, arrests had been made for criminal damage, blood had been sent for DNA testing from the scene of one crime and arrests were also made for possession of drugs, including cocaine. He said the issue of under age drinking was one which should concern everyone, not just police. ?We are satisfied the retailers in the town are generally being responsible, which means adults are buying alcohol for youths. ?We have spoken to some youths ? some parents are sending them out for the night with a bag full of bottles. ?I would ask all parents whose children are out all night to quiz them where they have been and what they have been doing. ?We are not talking about a marauding gang of criminals. Most have parents in town and I?m sure most are decent people. However, the group mentality, coupled with excess alchohol, can lead to disorder.? Sgt Nettleship said the town centre new PCSO would have the power to seize alcohol from youths. He said: ?In Okehampton, this has resulted in large amounts of beer and alcopops being taken over the course of the summer. We hope to have the same result in Tavistock. ?We always try to deal with the manifestations, but the problem is one which the community must share, not just the police.? John Taylor, chairman of Tavistock Forward, two years ago called for an alcohol ban to be imposed in the town centre in an attempt to curb late night anti-social behaviour. Mr Taylor, who lives in the town centre, said: ?I am glad the police are finally doing something about it.? He said the problem was that some young people, who had drunk too much, were ?disgorged? onto the streets in a drunken state. One town publican said as far as they were concerned, they operated a ?zero-tolerance? policy with regard to under age drinking ? and ?most certainly? would refuse to serve anyone who had already had too much to drink. He said: ?We have to be that strict with the new licensing laws. We have notices up all over the bar and if we are in any doubt, we ask for ID. And anyone who works behind the bar for us signs a form to say they have read the rules and regulations with regard to under-age drinking.?
