Act now to tackle ‘feral’ youths on our streets
CALLS have been made for a crackdown on youth antisocial behaviour over fears it has “gone through the roof” in Hyndburn.
It comes after angry residents hit out at gangs of youngsters terrorising the streets of Oswaldtwistle, police reported ongoing ‘juvenile nuisance’ in Rishton, and thugs smashed bus shelters in Huncoat.
Just three weeks ago, firefighters attending a callout in Accrington hit out at mindless yobbery after a group of around 20 ‘teenagers’ began launching fireworks at them.
And an experienced Hyndburn youth worker says nuisance will only get worse unless cuts to young people’s services introduced earlier in the year which have left gangs of youngsters roaming the streets, are reversed.
Conservative group leader Coun Tony Dobson said: “Youth anti-social behaviour is going through the roof. I don’t know whether it’s boredom or just mindless and senseless criminal acts.
“I don’t know why there should be a spike all of a sudden. It’s really up to leaders across the borough to come together to put their minds to the task and to try and engage with these young people and why they have that mindset at the moment and are doing what they are doing and to see if something can be done quickly and efficiently.”
Martin Hanratty, who has been a qualified youth worker for 30 years and managed Oswaldtwistle Youth & Community Centre for six years, said young people are now “feral” on our streets, putting themselves and others at risk.
He said: “My concern is young people have got nothing do in and nowhere to go, and it’s going to get worse.
“They’re now feral on the streets and the parks. Kids are hanging around creating problems and there are numerous calls to the police. Kids are bored. Every night becomes trick or treat night. If you don’t give young people things to do and places to go they’re going to get bored and do stupid things.”
Rishton councillor Ken Moss said youth club provision is a county council issue, but does not believe reversing the cuts will cure the problem.
He said: “I don’t believe that a youth club is an allpurpose cure.
“When I was growing up there were no youth clubs and there weren’t parks to the standard there are now.
“It wasn’t a case of there’s nothing better for them to do. There’s nothing we can provide that will keep all kids off the streets. Kids will always congregate on street corners.”