Youth crime crackdown applauded

People attending a meeting of the Oswaldtwistle Area Council gave a round of applause as police unveiled their get tough stance against badly behaved youngsters.

They have vowed to arrest any youths who refuse to curb their anti-social behaviour and slap curfews on them. So far, three youngsters have been arrested and taken to Accrington police station where their parents have had to come and collect them.

At the meeting, Coun Peter Britcliffe said: "It is good to see the police taking action on this issue. There are problems in Oswaldtwistle with juvenile nuisance and I am sure the area council is happy to lend its support to the scheme."

One resident, who lives near Rhyddings Park, said: "It is good to see this initiative being taken up by the police.

"Last week, I was walking through Rhyddings Park with an elderly woman when we were surrounded by these youngsters who tried to intimidate us. It was frightening and these youngsters seem to be of the opinion they can get away with it." Sgt Ian Hanson, the Oswaldtwistle area sergeant said: "Incidents like this are the ones we are targeting.

"There are a lot of well-behaved youngsters but there is a minority we are trying to get at now.

"Parents also need to be asking where their children are at night.

"For example, we know of one youngster who is dropped off in Union Road by his parents on a Friday night before they go off around Blackburn.

"That is irresponsible."

He added: "We are targeting the areas which worry people the most. Last month, we targeted burglaries because we were getting 10 a night.

"That number has now dropped significantly since we took people into custody.

"We aim to have a similar success with juvenile nuisance, especially with the summer months approaching.

Prompting a round of applause from residents, Sgt Hanson added: "I am happy to make this promise to residents. We will tackle this problem and clamp down on the youngsters who fall out of line."