Yobs make life hell onseafront

The behaviour of the youths in Marine Park Gardens has led to the flatowners living opposite to urge the police to tackle the nuisance.

One of the residents told last week's (APR 18) Aldwick parish meeting that the problem had been going on for about four months in the eastern end of the gardens.

'There are up 40 youths, usually about 20 of them, aged 12-16 years, and two-thirds of them with alcohol,' he stated.

'They turn up at 7.30pm and start drinking with laughing, noise and screaming. That goes on to about 10.30pm, sometimes 11pm.'

By this time, the youngsters were drunk. Some were incapable of standing and the noise they generated was louder.

They occasionally went into the grounds of the nearby flats and had urinated there. The situation was causing a great deal of distress for the residents. Many were elderly and some were in poor health.

He said the police had begun to arrive and confiscate the alcohol but he called for greater efforts to tackle the nuisance.

'This is an ongoing problem and, despite the efforts being made, it doesn't seem to be diminishing. Something has to be done about it before a serious situation occurs,' he stated.

He called for CCTV in the gardens along with metal gates along the front of the shelters to help to solve the problem.

Chief Inspector Brian Bracher said: 'Clearly, what is going on in the gardens is unacceptable. We have to manage the balance between people using the gardens, which they have a right to do, and what is unacceptable behaviour.'

But he said the police would take action to improve the situation. A similar problem on the other side of Bognor town centre had been solved.

He was confident the law and order situation in Aldwick had improved in the past two years and he was determined that would continue to be the case. However, he refused to give a deadline to sort out the problem.

'We are not about to go away and stop dealing with this but I am not going to make false promises to you,' he commented.

Aldwick's police community support officer, Nick Baker, said: 'I have dispersed groups of over 60 on my own from the gardens.'

The youths involved came from Bersted, Felpham, Middleton, Elmer and the town centre as well as Aldwick.

PCSO Baker said he was in favour of new CCTV cameras in the area. These included one location at the Nyewood Lane/Aldwick Road junction where Aldwick and Bognor councils had provisionally back the crime-fighting equipment.

Signs to remind adults that alcohol would be confiscated if they behaved anti socially were also about to be put up around the area of the gardens. However, under-18s drinking in public can have their alcohol taken away under different legislation.