ASB Youth Nuisance

In connection with Sussex Police, the SHP’s ASB Unit has developed a Youth Nuisance Register to crackdown on under-age drinking, particularly in Hastings town centre.

Police Operation Abstain was launched to tackle the issue of young people obtaining alcohol and drinking it in public, before moving on to a local organised, alcohol-free, under-18s event.

Any young person stopped and spoken to by police officers or PCSOs is entitled to receive a copy of a stop and search form, which the officers are required to complete.

On several occasions, when officers have offered a copy of this form to young people they have stopped and spoken to, many do not want a copy for fear of their parents finding out why they have been spoken to.

For this reason, the Safer Hastings Partnership’s ASB Unit and Sussex Police formed the Youth Nuisance Register. Now, every time a young person is spoken to by police officers, a copy of the form is collected by the ASB Unit.

The Unit then writes letters to the parents or guardians of the young people concerned. This letter sets out the circumstances in which the young person was stopped, and seeks to inform the parent that their child was out at a certain time, on a certain date, when their behaviour or the behaviour of their friends was such that an officer felt it necessary to stop them, and advise them about their conduct.

Where an individual youth is repeatedly coming to notice in this way, further interventions are considered.

Operation Abstain actively targets the areas where young people are known to gather for under-age drinking.

Under this operation, young people found in possession of alcohol under the influence of alcohol, or in the company of others in possession of alcohol, are stopped and spoken to by uniformed officers and PCSOs. The ASB Unit is later notified and the letter is sent out to parents or guardians.

Some of the more serious cases have prompted referrals to the under-19 substance misuse service, but these are rare.

In Operation Abstain’s (then Operation Warbler) first two months, the ASB Unit processed more than 80 stop forms. It has found that most parents support these actions and are concerned that their children have been caught in this way, because they had lied to their parents about their whereabouts or activities.

Since the Youth Nuisance Register was launched in October 2005, our ASB Unit has issued 316 letters to parents regarding their children’s behaviour, which might include under-age drinking, truancy, stone-throwing, etc.

Of these, just three young people have come to the ASB Unit’s attention again.

This is a 99% success rate. (The three who came to notice again went on to sign Acceptable Behaviour Agreements (ABAs) and take part in other interventions.)