Two teenagers arrested as police 'step up' work to tackle anti-social behaviour in Northampton

Two teenagers have been arrested as police crack down on anti-social behaviour in Northampton town centre.

At the end of June, Northamptonshire Police issued a warning after the force received repeated reports of a group of young people aged 15-18 committing thefts, public order offences, climbing high buildings in dangerous circumstances and assaulting police officers in the town centre.

The force then “stepped up” its work to tackle these kinds of incidents. Officers have now issued an update to say the incidents are “in decline”.

Police worked with partners to take action, including issuing four community protection warnings and five acceptable behaviour contracts, with a dispersal order also put in place to enable officers to move troublemakers on.

This has since resulted in one 16-year-old boy from Northampton being charged with breaching the order, and he is due to appear before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on July 25.

Another 16-year-old Northampton boy has also now been issued with a community protection notice (CPN) after being arrested and charged with breaching the dispersal order.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Beth Warren said: “Since we began our targeted work in the town centre, we’ve seen a significant decline in ASB incidents and will continue our operations to ensure this continues into the school holiday period.

“Alongside our enforcement action, youth workers have been out speaking with young people to provide them with support to prevent them causing further issues, and it’s great to see some of them engaging with this process.

“Our partnership activity with Northampton Partnership Homes also continues, as do our refeTwp rrals to social services.

“No-one is above the law and we are committed to keeping our town centre a place that is safe to work and visit. We continue to urge parents and guardians of young people to talk to them about the impact their behaviour can have on others, and encourage them to consider if they want to risk a criminal record and the restrictions that would place on their futures.”

The force also took part in Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week (July 3-9), with the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) relaunching the Cops Adopt a Shop scheme, where officers work closely with businesses in the town centre to provide a single point of contact, offer advice and provide opportunities to develop intelligence about issues in the area.

Inspector Warren added: “Through the Business Improvement District programme we also ran a briefing for the Northampton Town Anti-Social Reporting Scheme (NTARS) which was well attended by various businesses, where we discussed the benefits of NTARS and how to sign up to it.

“It was also a great opportunity for officers to chat with BID members, the Northampton Retail Crime Initiative, the West Northamptonshire Council’s ASB unit and outreach workers to share information about how we can all work to keep Northampton a safe and welcoming place to work, live, shop and visit.”

If you witness anti-social behaviour, report it to police by calling 101. In an emergency, call 999.

Find out more about ASB, and the help and support available, here: https://www.northants.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/.