CHILDREN as young as 12 were caught drinking by police in a clampdown on juvenile nuisance in Prestwich.

Inspector David Jones, head of Prestwich and Whitefield Township, said officers were out on patrol in Heywood Road last Friday evening (Sept, 6) when they made the discovery.

He said: "We were out dealing with young people drinking. Twelve-year-olds were being sick in the street and their parents were disgusted. We dealt with the incidents then minutes after we left another 12 people were there."

Insp Jones said there was probably a "novelty factor" in the police presence and added: "Because we were there they probably came out more. Usually if you ignore a child it will go away."

The patrols were deployed in a bid to tackle the increased reports of juvenile nuisance since last year.

Speaking at Whitefield and Unsworth Area Board, Insp Jones said that while recorded crime as a whole was down on last year the number of incidents involving people under the age of 17 had risen on the Hillock and Victoria Lane estates.

He said: "The good news is that crime is going down but juvenile nuisance figures have gone through the roof."

As an example he said that the Victoria Lane estate recorded crime figures, which included more serious crimes, for August last year showed 53 incidents compared to 38 in August this year.

But when looking at juvenile nuisance specifically, figures had risen by 30 incidents and nearby Hillock estate reported 75 incidents in August this year compared to 50 at the same time in 2001.

"This is where young people are not gainfully employed," he explained. "Across the borough as a whole, in August, we expect numbers to drop and then rise leading up to Bonfire Night, so you could say that these figures have bucked the trend."

He added: "It could be that because we are treating juvenile nuisance as a priority and meeting it head-on there is a backlash."