Police will target under-age drinkers (From Andover Advertiser)

Police will target under-age drinkers

2:30pm Saturday 4th July 2009

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A POLICE sergeant has warned that a campaign tackling under-age drinkers in north Hampshire is being stepped up over the summer holidays.

Operation Cyclonus is an ongoing campaign in Tadley targeting underage drinking and antisocial behaviour, which was initiated about 18 months ago, following complaints from village residents.

With the summer holidays approaching, Tadley Safer Neighbourhoods Sergeant Terry Arrowsmith has said the operation will be running over every weekend from the end of July and throughout August.

He said: “We will have the maximum number of officers out tackling anti-social behaviour.

“We usually get an increase in the number of complaints over the summer because youths are on holiday and the nights are longer, so it will be one of our priorities over the next few months.”

He added: “Cyclonus has been running in Tadley for about 18 months and has now been rolled out in the whole rural area, including Whitchurch.”

The crackdown has been running at weekends at regular intervals and has led to the confiscation of over 100 bottles and cans of alcohol in one weekend, in a previous operation.

Patrols are carried out in partnership with Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), Accredited Community Safety Officers (ACSOs) from Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Community Wardens, who target hotspots and seize alcohol from underage drinkers.

Officers also question under-18s about where the alcohol came from and follow up on identified suppliers.

Parents of teenagers found with alcohol in a public place will be asked to collect their child from the police station, and adults identified buying alcohol for under 18-year-olds risk an £80 fixed penalty notice or a court appearance with a possible fine of up to £5,000.

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