Call-outs to deal with nuisance children sky-rocket during the school holidays, according to a Dundee police officer.
PC Scott Menmuir, who is the community officer for the Lochee area, told the Tele that “parents need to know what their kids are up to” during the break between terms.
The advice comes as kids enjoy the first few days of the school holidays – a time when, according to PC Menmuir, calls to youth-related incidents rise.
These included a call-out to the Stack Leisure Park in Dundee earlier this week to deal with a group of primary-aged children.
PC Menmuir said: “During the holidays, you tend to get calls all day rather than just for a few hours at night — it is spread out more.
“I would say that it is about a 50% increase in the amount of calls that we get during the holidays.
“We will be out and about in Lochee High Street, we will be out there in the areas where kids tend to hang out.
“We had a call on Monday to Stack Leisure Park about youngsters who were mucking about.
“They were hanging about and annoying the customers so we went to shops up there and got descriptions of the kids involved.
“We traced them to the High Street, they were late primary school age. We warned them about mucking about at the shops.
“We have a number of options available to us, we can go through the Asbo team and they can send out a letter to the parents.
“That has a positive effect because no one wants to be receiving letters like that. If we get complaints or they cause a nuisance we will be doing something about it.
“During the school holidays we will tend to get more officers to patrol the areas round the shops and known hang-out spots.”
Despite the trouble being caused by youngsters in the area, PC Menmuir said that it is parents who need to take responsibility for their kids.
PC Menmuir added: “My message is to the parents. Parents need to know what their kids are up to.
“You should know where your kids are and what they are doing.
“It is difficult but they need to make sure the kids aren’t mucking around because at the end of the day it is anti-social behaviour.
“I would tell the public that they should phone us if there are kids mucking about around and being a nuisance to people.”