A team of Gwent Police officers have taken to the streets of Monmouthshire alongside 22 new student police officers and Monmouthshire Council’s Trading Standards in a joint operation to tackle anti – social behaviour.
The operation took place between 6pm and 10pm on Friday, 23rd July 2010 in Abergavenny, Monmouth, Usk, Caldicot and Chepstow. Officers seized 37 cans and 34 bottles of alcohol. A number of warnings were given to drivers for minor road traffic offences and one person was arrested for criminal damage.
Officers were aiming to minimise the impact of anti-social behaviour on individuals and communities in Monmouthshire by targeting individuals under the age of 18 who were drinking unsupervised in public places.
The Council’s Trading Standards officers were out and about to make sure licensed premises were fully complying with the terms of their licence and to remind businesses about the penalties for selling alcohol to anyone under the legal age.
Anti social behaviour forms the basis for at least one PACT priority in each of the five towns in Monmouthshire which indicates that it is a priority clearly affecting residents that Neighbourhood teams are eager to tackle.
Typical complaints include youths drinking in public places, gathering outside local shops, minor damage, and generally being a nuisance, especially during the summer months as a result of the summer holidays and better weather.
Sergeant Jason Rowe, who co-ordinated the operation explains: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for our new officers to come face to face with the real problems that are affecting their communities. Our intention was to intervene at an early stage to prevent further issues and provide support through a multi-agency approach.
“We targeted individuals under the age of 18 who are drinking unsupervised in public places to reduce the impact of alcohol related crime and disorder on residents within our communities. We want to remind people that officers will take strong enforcement action to tackle this behaviour in Monmouthshire, in particular using powers to remove persons under 16 to a place of safety.”
Inspector Mike Boycott added, “Anti-social behaviour can have a big impact on the quality of life of the local community and the feedback from the public is that they welcome this type of initiative.
“We want young people in Monmouthshire to enjoy themselves but we also want them to behave responsibly. Our aim was to speak to young people and educate them about the impact of anti-social behaviour so that they can think before they act in the future. We had a good response from the young people during the operation and we will continue to work with the community to tackle anti-social behaviour.”
