RAINFORD Civic Hall was packed to the rafters when more than 500 villagers turned up to discuss youth disorder in the area.

And many present identified lack of youth facilities in the community as the root of the problem.

Also attending were police, councillors, St Helens Council's principal youth officer Mel Riding and Jenny Lloyd of the Community Safety Unit.

In recent months, problems concerning youths have been causing concern and incidents of vandalism, theft and drunkenness have been on the increase.

During the meeting Sgt Bill Clarke said police had stepped up both uniform and plain clothes patrols in the area to specifically target problematic youths and as a result had had "a degree of success with 15 arrests for offences including damage, theft, drunkenness and assault. We have also produced people for summons and taken drunken youths home".

Sgt Clarke revealed how the use of video cameras to record disorderly conduct had proved to be good deterrent in the last couple of months and how local community officer, Billy Harrison, had been visiting schools and talking to young people about crime and its consequences. He added: "In the last couple of months we have reduced the incidents of youth disorder and damage by about 50 per cent, but we know that this is not a long term solution to the problem."

The outcome of the meeting and the feeling of residents, police and parish councillors was that there simply aren't enough facilities, resources or activities for young people in the Rainford area and that the problems with youths were probably a result.

Following the meeting on Monday night, a council spokesperson, said: "As a result of the meeting more than 40 people have volunteered to serve on a problem-solving group for the area.

"The council and other organisations, including the police, will all be involved and will look to see what partnerships can be achieved to address the problems in the area.

"Partnership is an approach we have been using with effect in other areas. Experience shows that a range of community action, including the involvement of local residents, is the most successful way to achieve satisfactory solutions."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.