From the Dover Mercury, 1 February 2007.

Town centre PC Steve Alexander, Ch Insp Roy Cottam, Christopher Allen, council community safety manager and Cllr Julie Rook.

Police get new powers against drunken yobs.

NEW powers to deal with threatening behaviour, harassment and anti-social conduct caused by alcohol have been given to police in Dover district.

A by-law controlling the consumption of alcohol in public places comes into force today (Thursday).

The rule, known as a designated public places order, allows police to ask someone to stop drinking alcohol in a public place if they are causing trouble.

If the person refuses, that is an offence.

The orders can only be made by local authorities and Dover District Council decided to create one after looking at data on crime and talking to police and the public.

Chief Inspector Roy Cottam said the order would not stop people having one or two alcoholic drinks in public, but would come into effect if a member of the public complained about someone's conduct because of alcohol.

Picnic

He added: "The key to the bylaw is if anyone feels threatened or harassed by someone who is drinking.

"If a family had a picnic in Pencester Gardens and enjoyed a bottle of wine, causing no alarm, they would have nothing to worry about.

"Without the by-law, we had to rely on policing skills to deal with anti-social behaviour caused by drinking, but the by-law gives us the power to compel anyone to stop drinking, before we begin thinking about offences under the public order act or offences around being drunk and disorderly."

Mr Cottam praised the district council for tackling the issue.

Cllr Julie Rook, district council cabinet member for citizenship, added: "The order will help us tackle anti-social behaviour."

Young thugs targeted in police operation.

POLICE were targeting violent crime and alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour in Dover at the weekend as part of the Safer Street campaign.

Regular patrol officers were augmented by 15 extra officers, including plain-clothes, tactical teams and Special Constables.

Licensing checks were carried out at public houses, wine bars and off-licences across the area to make sure that alcohol was not being sold to underage drinkers, and to disperse youths who traditionally gather in some of these locations.

In Dover and Folkestone patrols were called to 21 incidents, including suspected drug dealing, a large fight and reports of a robbery.

Teenagers were found to be carrying alcohol which was confiscated and poured away. The officers conducted licensing checks and patrolled in vehicles and on foot in areas that had been designated as hotspots.

Officers continued to patrol after midnight, ready to respond to any threat to public order.

From the Dover Mercury, 8 February 2007.

PARENTS WARNED: Did you know your child has been caught with alcohol?

Bottles seized as police target teenage.

THE parents of more than 30 young people are being contacted by the police about their children's behaviour after they were caught with alcohol at the weekend.

"We will be writing to their parents warning them of the consequences of consuming alcohol underage," said Chief Inspector Roy Cottam, Dover District Commander.

Officers seized more than 80 bottles and cans from youths aged under 16, more than half of them from one group of three youths in Dover town centre.

Police are also making enquiries with several local supermarkets and off-licences where alcohol was allegedly sold to the young people.

In the space of 90 minutes, between 7 and 8.30pm on Friday, 24 January, bottles of strong Carlsberg Export lager were seized from a group of five youths in Aylesham, and 48 bottles of lager were seized from three youths in Biggin Street, Dover.

The operation coincided with the launch of a new measure to control the consumption of alcohol in public places in the district. As reported in last week's Mercury, a Designated Public-Places order was introduced by the district council on Thursday.

Any person who refuses to stop drinking after being told to stop by a police constable, commits an offence which could result in them being arrested.

"Officers in the Dover district are being pro-active against under-age drinking and this will continue," said Chief Inspector Cottam.

"I would urge parents to know where their children are at night time, and to beware of the consequences of trying to buy, and consume alcohol on the streets of the district.

"This includes any adult who buys or attempts to buy alcohol for people under 18, it is an offence and you may be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £80 for doing so."

From the Dover Mercury, 8 March 2007. Exclusive by Phil Reilly.

Stand up to the yobs says senior policeman.

A SENIOR Dover police officer says the best way to deal with abusive yobs is for residents to be confident and confront them.

Responding to questions at a district council scrutiny meeting last week Inspector Paul Ludwig, the head of neighbourhood policing in the Dover district, acknowledged the frustrations of residents who feel officers take too long to respond to calls.

Insp Ludwig was answering questions from former mayor George Allt and councillor Paul Le Chevalier at a district council meeting.

Cllr Allt asked Insp Ludwig what residents should do when confronted by abusive yobs in Dover. He recalled a time when he had been threatened by aggressive youths in the town centre.

Cllr Allt said: "When I turned around there was one of them left saying: 'Come over here and I'll bash your nose in.' I walked towards him to confront him and he ran away immediately.

"If it happens to me it must happen to everybody."

Insp Ludwig responded: "To be honest, we need to act in a similar fashion to what you have done, which is stand up to it and confront them.

"You have to be confident to do that, which is why advice is generally different.

"Some people may be much bigger than you, or be on drugs, and you could get hurt in that situation.

"It seems to me that as a society we don't have the confidence or are not brave enough to do stand up to yobs because of all the stories we hear.

"That is not to say you should never call the police and deal with it yourself. People need to call us."

Cllr Paul Le Chevalier, who is a former Thanet policeman, said: "Residents feel that if they do come across trouble there is no point reporting it to the police as no one turns up.

"If there is only one car in the area and it is tied up then you may not see a police officer until the next day."

Insp Ludwig sympathised with Cllr Le Chevalier's remarks, saying: "I appreciate the frustrations that people have."

Alcohol seen as trendy by young.

ALCOHOL abuse is a bigger problem among teenagers in Dover than drugs, according to Inspector Paul Ludwig.

Speaking to district councillors at a scrutiny meeting last week, the inspector said parents and schools had to get a "just say no" message across to youngsters.

Insp Ludwig said: "Getting high on alcohol seems to be the thing to do.

"It is more problematic than drugs with the 13 to 16 age group.

"We have got to try and educate our children where drugs and alcohol are involved. We've got to give kids the confidence to say no. We have to get the message over that it's not right. But we must remember that it's a minority.

"The majority are great, they are your sons and daughters."

Inspector Ludwig added that young men were not the only cause of trouble and that fighting among young women was on the rise.

He said: "If you go out on the streets of Dover at night you see them coming out of pubs and clubs drunk, screaming and shouting and getting in catfights. They can be as bad as men."

The inspector praised the police's new tactic of patrolling in the early evening and confiscating alcohol from youngsters.

PROPER USE OF ASBOS.

ONLY 10 Anti-social Behaviour Orders have been issued in Dover in the last four years.

Insp Paul Ludwig told councillors last Wednesday it was a myth that Asbos were handed out 'willy-nilly'.

He said: "They are a last resort. I don't think 10 in four years is a lot. We use them properly."