Parents could face significant court fines or risk losing their properties if they fail to control their children as part of a police crackdown on youth anti-social behaviour.
Nottinghamshire Police has launched a major operation to target mounting ASB concerns in the city centre.
Problems include harassing and intimidating retail staff, breaking into abandoned buildings such as the former Guildhall and Debenhams site, and carrying drugs and weapons.
A dedicated team of uniformed and plain-clothes officers have created a ‘watchlist’ of those youths causing the most problems, with new names and faces added weekly.
The team are already visiting parents at their home addresses and explaining the powers that can be used in the hope of breaking the cycle of bad behaviour.
If the behaviour continues, their parents or guardians will ultimately pay the price by being handed a Community Protection Notice (CPN).
Breaching a CPN is a criminal offence and has a wide range of consequences, including significant court fines or potentially losing their tenancy.
Most of the children involved in ASB and criminality range from 11 to 16. Crimes have included possession of Class A and B drugs, shop theft, criminal damage, and harassment and intimidation, which includes wearing balaclavas to cause fear, alarm, and distress.
Sergeant Cai Kemish, who is leading the operation in the city centre, said:
“We welcome kids coming into the city centre to meet their friends and socialise, but when they are being unruly and affecting our local businesses and upsetting members of the public, then it is a firm no from us.
“We will only tolerate so much, and if parents fail to control their children after they have been warned or arrested, or return to the city after being banned, then we will take action against them.
“This can and will include working with their local housing providers to see if they are in breach of their tenancy agreement.
“They have a responsibility to ensure their children are not coming into the city to cause problems or getting involved in criminality.
“Thankfully, a number of parents have engaged with us, including one mum who took away all of her son’s gaming consoles as a punishment.
“However, some parents have not engaged with us, and if their children continue to cause problems, it will be them who ultimately pay the price.
“It is not the police’s job to parent these children. It can be a drain on our resources to deal with their constant poor behaviour, which is having a detrimental effect on our city and its visitors.
“I am sure the public would want us to use our time more effectively. However, we have listened to the public’s concerns and are addressing this problem head-on.
“We now have a comprehensive list of young people who are causing problems in the city, some of whom are now on banning orders preventing them entering the area.
“I want to reassure the public that if they breach that order or continue to come into the city to cause problems, then we will take robust action against them and their parents.”
The new ASB operation, named Op View, is part of a much wider project to improve public safety and make Nottingham a hostile environment for criminals to operate.
Operation Reclaim is a collaborative approach to tackling the key issues affecting the city centre, including aggressive begging, illegal e-bikes, and retail crime.
Key partners involved include Nottingham City Council, the Violence Reduction Partnership, Nottinghamshire’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the retail community.
City Commander for Nottinghamshire Police, Superintendent Chris Pearson, said:
“The public can expect to see an increased police presence in the city centre, both uniformed and plain-clothes. Not only as part of this operation to combat youth ASB, but also to solve some of the other problems that have been raised by the public and our business community.
“We know the impact that some recent events have had on our city.
“With our partners, we are going to make Nottingham as hostile as possible for criminals to operate and think twice about coming into the city to commit crime or cause ASB.
“I want to be really clear – we are going to make their lives extremely difficult. We will use all the tools at our disposal, which includes banning them from the area.
“In terms of youth ASB, we are acutely aware that some young people are not bothered about being arrested or see it as a badge of honour.
“Some young people think nothing will happen to them. Well, think again, we won’t only look to ban you from the city so you can’t use all the facilities it has to offer, but we will also be visiting your family.
“Ultimately, it will be them who pay the price if your behaviour continues.
“Working with our local partners, we will do everything we can to ensure you have no other option but to change your behaviour.
“Nottingham does not want you if you continue down this path.”
Nottingham City Council’s Leader, Councillor Neghat Khan, said:
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in Nottingham city – whether they live here, work here, or are visiting to enjoy what the city has to offer. What we are seeing from a small number of young people is completely unacceptable and is having a real impact on businesses, residents, and visitors.
“We are working closely with Nottinghamshire Police and our partners to take robust action against criminal and anti-social behaviour. That includes using the full range of powers available to us as a council, particularly where families refuse to engage or take responsibility after repeated warnings.
“At the same time, we want to be clear that support is available for families who are prepared to work with us to address the root causes of this behaviour.
“But where there is persistent anti-social or criminal activity, there will be consequences. Our priority is protecting the wider public and making sure Nottingham remains a safe, welcoming city for everyone.”
