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Parents are being asked to keep an eye on what their children get up to this summer as Guernsey Police plan to take "robust action" against anti-social behaviour caused by some of the island's young people.
Acknowledging that the "vast majority of the community's young people" do not cause trouble, officers will be patrolling public areas and be at large public events to ensure others don't too.
Above: Inspector Lisa Hart reiterated that while the majority of the Bailiwick's young people have "no ill intent", the "poor behaviour of a few" negatively impact many other people.
Ahead of the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend, and schools' half term week - with the summer holidays less than two months away - Guernsey Police said that they'll be "taking robust action to prevent anti-social behaviour from taking place, particularly in very public areas".
Expanding on their plans for a "robust" response, Guernsey Police said the community can be assured that officers "will tackle all sorts of anti-social and criminal behaviours, taking proportionate action, working with other partners, and ultimately if needed, the courts. We will be closely monitoring these types of incidents and working closely with partner agencies and event organisers to ensure that our community can enjoy themselves safely.
"However, we would also ask parents to consider the responsibility they have to know what their children are up to and to ensure that they are not causing problems in the community. While we know the vast majority of the community’s young people have no ill intent and we by no means wish to demonise young people, the poor behaviour of a few can have a negative impact on many others. This will never be acceptable in the Bailiwick."
Pictured: The incident on Sunday 8 May 2022 at the La Mare de Carteret playing fields involved roughly 200 people.
Giving recent examples of past incidences where a minority of young people have had a negative impact on the wider community of teenagers and young adults, as well as the wider community at large, Guernsey Police said officers had to deal with "a number of incidents of this kind involving young people which were often linked to social media" last summer and already this year.
One example from last summer would be the fight at the La Mare de Carteret playing fields while a balcony gig was happening at Cobo. That preceded Liberation Day and the weather was good, and around 200 people were estimated to have been at the fields when a fight took place - many of them under 18 years old.
Guernsey Police reiterated: "We will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to this kind of behaviour, and we will be ensuring we have a high visibility police presence in public areas and at large public events."
Pictured: Earlier this Spring a number of youths were linked to altercations at La Vallette and Beau Sejour.
Another, more recent example, saw a teenager end up in hospital after an incident at The Albany in town.
The boy was involved in a fight a the bus terminus on Saturday 13 May. He has since been released from hospital while four people were arrested in connection with the incident – including two 17-year-old males arrested on suspicion of assault and one 14-year-old female arrested for disorderly behaviour.
Guernsey Police said "if anyone has any information or intelligence about these types of incidents or behaviours, we would encourage them to contact Police to prevent future incidents occurring".
You can do so by calling the control room on 01481 222222 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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