A police operation to stamp out vandalism in South Woodham town centre has seen 20 youths arrested in recent months.

Operation Lara was launched to tackle unruly teenagers who have been waging a campaign of destruction in the town on weekend nights, breaking windows and causing other criminal damage.

So far, two 18-year-old men have been charged with causing criminal damage, including smashing windows at Barclays Bank in January, while others have received cautions and "final warnings" said Sgt Graeme Dowsett.

"Around the end of last year, criminal damage was increasing at an alarming rate,'' said Sgt Dowsett.''Windows were going in left, right and centre. We started with a high visibility police presence, made some drunk and disorderly arrests and issued fixed penalty notices.''Phase two of the operation was then identifying who the hardcore element were and dealing with them.''

As well as springing suspects in early morning raids, police have been employing DNA technology, linking vandals to their crimes by blood left at the scene. With the operation now over, Sgt Dowsett is confident it had served its purpose.

He said: "An operation can't go on forever and it has pretty much finished now. But the level of criminal damage has gone down significantly.

''We have had positive comments from the public. People like to see officers on the beat and they have got used to seeing us more and more in the town centre, especially on a Friday evening.

"The people we have arrested are all men and in their mid to late teens. The damage usually happens late at night and alcohol is generally involved."

Published Thursday, June 5, 2003

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