Arrests as police crack down on disorder at beach
A 16-YEAR-OLD is among those arrested in Cullercoats as part of Operation Coastwatch.
On the afternoon of Saturday, July, 9, a teenager accused of causing disorder in Cullercoats and Byker was detained after officers were alerted to a large group of young people suspected of causing disorder on the coast.
Working with North Tyneside Council and Nexus, police were kept informed about the group’s movements, with CCTV footage showing them boarding a Metro train towards Newcastle. Within minutes, officers boarded the train at the Chillingham Road station in Heaton, spoke to the group and arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of a public order offence.
He has since been referred to youth offending teams.
On Tuesday of this week, police arrested four men following a separate incident in Cullercoats where a group of offenders were acting in a violent manner on the beach. It was reported that one offender allegedly threatened another with a knife, with various members of the public getting in touch with police.
After they made off from the scene, officers were on hand to scour the area and four suspects, aged 23, 21, 20 and 17, were located and arrested. Inquiries are ongoing.
The incidents are the latest interventions from the multi-agency team behind Operation Coastwatch, the annual initiative to tackle disorder and anti-social behaviour at our region’s beaches and coastal areas.
It sees police work alongside the council’s Community Protection Team and Nexus in order to identify and tackle disorder, and deal with any reported disorder on the Metro network.
Superintendent Sam Rennison, of Northumbria Police, has praised the ongoing work, which coincides with the national ASB Awareness Week.
She said: “Operation Coastwatch consistently delivers results and helps us deal with any reports of anti-social behaviour linked to our beaches and transport networks.
“Everyone wants to enjoy the warm weather hassle-free and in a safe manner – and these arrests are the latest proactive interventions taken to ensure our communities are not bothered with the reckless anti-social behaviour of a minority.
“Operation Coastwatch is an example of how everyone can work together to tackle and prevent antisocial behaviour in an effective way.”
Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said: “We are rightly very proud of our region’s coastline, and want everyone to be able to experience our outstanding beaches and scenic views in a safe and well-behaved manner. Anti-social behaviour, or any kind of disorder, will not be tolerated.”
North Tyneside Council and Nexus – who both play a key role in Operation Coastwatch – believe the initiative continues to make a positive difference. Coun Carole Burdis, Cabinet Member for Crime and Community Safety, said: “These are great examples of how the council, Northumbria Police, Nexus and other partners are working together to keep North Tyneside safe.”
Nexus customer services director Huw Lewis said: “Our frontline customer support teams on Metro have a key role to play in supporting the police on the latest Operation Coastwatch.”
The four men arrested following Tuesday’s incident remain under investigation with inquiries ongoing. Anybody who has phone footage of the incident is asked to contact police via the “Tell Us Something” page of their website quoting log NP-20220719-1047.