A scheme to tackle underage drinking and anti-social behaviour in Darlington saw 40 children and young people spoken to by police.
Operation Stay Safe, run by Darlington Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, is part of a Home Office initiative, which sees the police, uniformed wardens, anti-social behaviour teams, family intervention and social services working together to protect vulnerable children and young people, who may be drinking on the streets.
It also aims to reassure the public that the CDRP is tackling issues they have raised as concerns, through Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meetings, which aim to give people more say over policing in their areas.
Operation Stay Safe identified young people who were at risk, often as a result of alcohol. They were then spoken to and some were taken to a place of safety where they were spoken to by social workers. Their parents or an appropriate adult, was then contacted and asked to collect them.
All of the young people involved will be interviewed by the police, in the company of their parents, at a later date.
The operation which ran on Friday and Saturday night saw 40 young people spoken to by officers, of these 11 were taken to a place of safety. This resulted in five young people being referred to other services and eight parents being spoken to.
Acting Chief Inspector Alison Jackson, said: “Operation Stay Safe proved a huge success. Darlington CDRP took action to protect children at risk and provided reassurance to local people. It’s a fresh approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.”
