Bring your children into line or you will be evicted
ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR SPATE LEADS TO POLICE AND COUNCIL ACTION
PARENTS of antisocial youths have been given a stark warning to control their children or face losing their homes.
For weeks, unruly youngsters have been running riot in West Denton, Newcastle, and making life a misery for their neighbours.
Police say groups of children have been gathering around an area known locally as the ‘D Roads,’ where they have been drinking and smoking drugs.
They have also been intimidating residents, causing criminal damage and littering.
A wall on the estate was broken and bins have previously been set on fire.
Police also believe some of the youths are involved in motorcycle disorder.
The majority of those responsible are teenagers but police have received reports about a nineyear-old boy behaving in a disorderly manner.
On Wednesday morning, their parents found police, council and housing officers on their doorstep.
A total of 13 homes were visited in the D Roads area, which covers Dayshield, Dunstan Walk, Darden Lough, Downham and Deerbush.
The occupiers were told they could be evicted if their youngsters continued to terrorise their community. They were handed community protection warning notices as well as eviction warnings.
One woman came to her door and argued with officers when they handed her a letter.
She later left the property and continued to argue with them outside before the team continued with the operation.
Northumbria Police, Newcastle City Council and Your Homes Newcastle carried out the visits after working with the community to tackle the problem.
Neighbourhood Sgt Ashley Palmer said the majority of residents on the estate were law-abiding but a number of youths were causing problems for everyone else. She added: “We have had a number of complaints from people on the D Roads about the behaviour of a number of children.
“We have had complaints about children as young as nine who have been involved in causing criminal damage on the estates and that is unacceptable.
“The behaviour has led to significant littering and damage to council property that has left the area looking like an eyesore.
“That can attract antisocial behaviour itself and can be devastating for those decent people who take real pride in their home and community.
“For a number of weeks we have worked with partners, and the local community, to try and come up with a solution that improves people’s lives.
“But a number of those warnings have been ignored and a number of these families are in the last-chance saloon. “If these children don’t start to change their ways then we will be left with no option but to move them out of the area to prevent further disorder from taking place.”
Coun Clare Penny-Evans, the council’s cabinet member for communities and climate change, and chair of the Safe Newcastle board, said: “The activity carried out this morning shows we will not abandon those residents whose lives are blighted by the inconsiderate, frightening and often dangerous antisocial behaviour of a small number of people in the community.
“We will take action when necessary and if the trend of this kind of behaviour continues to escalate as it has in recent months, we will not hold back from removing those who are causing the problem.
“We appreciate people are badly let down in terms of youth services thanks to years of austerity inflicted upon by successive governments, but there is still a responsibility to be mindful of our neighbours and communities.
“As a council we are committed to providing decent neighbourhoods for residents of Newcastle and we will continue to work with our partners to achieve this.”
We won’t abandon those whose lives are blighted by inconsiderate, frightening and dangerous behaviour Coun Clare Penny-Evans