Over the half term week in Southport, there have been a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour involving some young people, mainly around the Kew area. In these incidents the behaviour of the young people concerned has been completely unacceptable, in some cases, dangerous and frankly, just stupid.
Footage of some children running across Kew roundabout was circulated on social media earlier in the week. Following this the parents of one boy brought him into Southport Police Station where it was made very clear to the boy the danger he had put himself and road users in as a result of his actions. We are grateful to this boy’s parents for bringing him in to be held responsible for his actions and we would appeal to other parents to do the same, should they see their children involved in any similar incidents.
Patrols also attended an incident where a security guard at the Tesco store on Town Lane was assaulted by a group of youths. This matter is currently under investigation.
When Police Officers or PCSO’s attend an incident of anti-social behaviour and identify suspects, the individuals will be required to provide their name and address. Failure to comply with this request will lead to the individual being detained and if they are under 16 years of age, they will be removed to a place of safety ie. Southport Police Station until they are identified and parents can collect them.
Should the individual need to be arrested, they will be conveyed to the custody suite available at the time. Parents are advised that, due to availability, this could be ANY custody suite across Merseyside, which they will be required to attend to collect their son or daughter.
We appeal to parents to be aware of where their children go in the evenings, who they may be with and what they may be doing. Any parents struggling with the behaviour of children and who have concerns about what they may be doing, can contact us and we will refer them to our Early Help Team. There are a range of measures that can be put in place at an early stage, such as Acceptable Behaviour Contracts, Parenting Contracts, Community Protection Notices and more to reduce the impact on a young person by entering the criminal justice system.
Should a young person gain a criminal record while a youth, this can have serious implications on their future, including their ability to travel overseas, which will stay with them in later life. This has been emphasised during the knife crime inputs we have been giving in schools over the last year.
The areas concerned will be given extra attention over the coming days and evenings. Parents, please help reduce the risk of us knocking on your door with your child.
You can make comments on this and our recent day of action in Southport on the survey below.
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