Check your children for alcohol, say police
Parents should take responsibility to ask where their teenagers are going at night and check they are not sneaking out alcohol from home, say police in a crackdown on antisocial behaviour.
Officers are making a plea to parents across the town after 27 bottles of spirits, lager and alcopops were seized from one group of under-age drinkers in Abbey Fields on Friday night.
The hoard, which included six bottles of vodka, a bottle of Lambrini, rum, cider and ten plastic drinks bottles filled with various spirits, were all confiscated as part of Operation Trowbridge to clamp down on antisocial behaviour.
Kenilworth beat manager, Pete King, said it was “nothing new” to see groups of up to 60 teenagers as young as 14 congregating in Abbey Fields, Castle Farm or a recreational space off Whitemore Road known locally as Black Pad.
But he said police are working to stamp out the bad behaviour and calling on parents to do their bit.
“It is almost the accepted culture for young people to meet up and drink in these areas,” he said.
“Parents need to take some responsibility as these are all teenagers from Kenilworth.
“They have a responsibility to ask the questions and find out where their children are going, who they are going with and if they are taking alcohol.
“We are not trying to criminalise groups who aren’t necessarily doing anything sinister and we aren’t saying that Kenilworth teenagers are bad.
“But gangs of that size can be very intimidating and they need to understand the dangers of drinking in these quantities.”
The town centre is an alcohol free zone and it is an offence not to hand over alcohol if asked to do so by police.
Officers are now working with Warwick District Council community groups and young people to find safer social hangouts.
The Heart of England Revival church and The Kenilworth Centre both offer a place for teenagers to go in the evenings as a direct step to addressing the issues.
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Weather for Kenilworth
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
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Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
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