People urged to 'respect their communities and coastline' in crackdown on anti-social behaviour

Northumbria Police are urging the public to "respect their communities and coastline" in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

The annual effort will see extra patrols and beach wardens along North Tyneside's coastline to ensure it is safe for residents and visitors as the summer season gets underway.

Police say there will be particular focus on premises selling alcohol to those under the age of 18.

Any retailer found to be doing so will lose their licence in a bid to "send a clear message".

It follows reports of antisocial behaviour such as littering and underage drinking following end-of-term celebrations last year.

Parents and carers are now being encouraged to speak with their children about their plans, what they are doing and the potential consequences of involvement in anti-social behaviour.

The scheme is part of a partnership between Northumbria Police, North Tyneside Council and Nexus.

Dan Whyte, Chief Superintendent for North Tyneside, said: “We know that local residents and businesses have concerns around anti-social behaviour and disorder, and we want to reassure them that we, along with our partners, are here to continue to support and protect communities.

“I want to be clear that any pockets of disorder will be dealt with swiftly and robustly. We won’t tolerate people negatively impacting the experience of others.

“The warmer weather isn’t a green light for people to stop obeying the law. We all have a responsibility to one another, and everyone deserves to have a good time without worrying about the actions of others.

“As ever, we’d ask the wider community to help us and continue to show their support."

Preventative work to discourage anti-social behaviour is also being rolled out on transport links to the coast, with the police working with the metro operators Nexus.

Erika Allen, Quality, Health, Safety, Security and Environment Director at Nexus, said: “Metro is a major gateway into the North Tyneside coastline over the summer months, and we want people to come and enjoy it, but we don’t want a minority of troublemakers to spoil it for everyone else.

"Metro is a safe system and we are determined to keep it that way."

Metro network owner Nexus has recently rolled out a text message alert system to allow customers to contact the Metro control room more easily.

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