PARENTS of youths causing chaos across Barnsley could be evicted from their social housing if youngsters’ behaviour does not improve at antisocial behaviour-hit hotspots.
Officers from South Yorkshire Police’s neighbourhood hubs at Barnsley town centre, Cudworth, Goldthorpe, Kendray and Royston are working alongside Barnsley Council’s Safer Neighbourhood Service and Berneslai Homes in a bid to solve long-running problems involving teenage gangs.
At a police meeting held in Cudworth, concerned residents and councillors discussed recent issues which have seen yobs between the ages of 13 and 15 cause damage to parks, throw fireworks at passing vehicles and allegedly cut pigeons’ wings off.
It follows months of issues at Canal Street, near Barnsley town centre, involving youngsters subjecting residents to abuse and it’s hoped the latest warning will make parents listen.
Jill Griffiths, from the Safer Neighbourhood Service, revealed that a database of names has been collated following a fresh wave of complaints.
“There is an action plan in place if problems persist and it’s the parents who will be dealt with,” she added.
“We do deal with antisocial behaviour anyway but tenancy agreements will be looked at if improvements with kids’ behaviour within their local community isn’t made. We hope this will make them sit up and take notice.
“We have different tools to deal with parents who have private rented housing, whether that’s issuing community protection notices (CPNs) or working alongside PCSOs (police community support officers).
“We’ve had issues in Kendray and Worsbrough but, following intervention, incidents went down from 62 to just two in a one-month period so it shows what appears to be tough action on first glance does get the desired results.”
It’s claimed the teens have been moved on from Cudworth and have resettled in Shafton due to a police clampdown, but residents have complained about ‘never-before-seen’ levels of issues in the village.
Dave North, chairman of Shafton Parish Council, said: “We’ve never had it as bad but we believe these teenagers are coming into the village because they’ve been moved on from Cudworth.
“It’s something that’s gone on across Barnsley for a long time and it appears they are intent on causing trouble wherever they’re dispersed to.
“It’s no good putting more police resources into one area, which obviously stops them from behaving badly, as it just pushes them on to somewhere else.”
Police are also working alongside Outwood Academy Shafton the school where the youngsters are said to go to gather information on the culprits, although PC Clare Sidaway said the teens are already known to be the same group responsible for previous incidents.
“We’re already aware of a dozen or so youngsters who have been questioned in relation to ongoing antisocial behaviour in the Cudworth area,” she added.
“We’re liaising with the school and parents, who have been supportive and mortified.
“We’ve absolutely hammered this problem in recent weeks and we simply can’t sustain the amount of time we’ve spent on it.
“But they know full well we’re on their case and we’re all working together to find a resolution.”
