Police are set to blaze into South Woodham this weekend in a get-tough crackdown on thugs, vandals and under-age drunks.
Codenamed Operation Lara after the all-action computer-game heroine, the initiative will see a "substantial" increase in the numbers of police on the streets on Friday, in a firm response to spiralling public order problems in the town.
Chief Inspector Jed Stopher, of Chelmsford division, said: "Over the last two to three weekends there have been problems, in particular criminal damage. One night most of the windows of the library were smashed, there is regular misuse of the Asda car park and there are lots of young kids getting drunk."
At times, he said, there were up to 60 youngsters in the Asda car park, some driving , others as young as 12 who had obviously been drinking.
"This area will be policed firmly, and we'll have a substantial number of police out on Friday, including police dog handlers. They will be having a very low tolerance level for any sort of misbehaviour, " he said.
"If you've got kids check where they are. If we find youths drunk they will find themselves in the cells. This is a big boys game and we're playing it by big boys rules."
In the last three months, there have been 23 reports of criminal damage, 16 offences involving violence and 35 public nuisance offences in the town centre area of South Woodham.
Published Thursday October 31, 2002
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