Sergeant reassures village after teens are seen drunk

8:47am Sunday 1st June 2008

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A POLICE sergeant has allayed concerns over underage drinking in a north Hampshire village.

Councillor John Rodway, of Kingsclere Parish Council, expressed alarm about underage drinking in the village after two occasions of youths being intoxicated on Saturday mornings.

He said of one the incidents: "At 7.30am, there were about six or seven 14 to 15-year-olds clearly on their way home from a very late night."

He added that comments were exchanged between older residents out buying their papers and the youths.

He said: "Good police presence in the evening is a good thing, but this is an example that some of the more irritating behaviour can be as early as that.

"It's always a minority, they tend to be a handful of people who say that there's nothing to do in a sleepy village, and they tar the others with the wrong brush, because there are fantastic groups of kids who get involved and support events in the village."

However, Sergeant Olga Venner, responsible for the safer neighbourhoods team in rural Basingstoke, said: "There is not a huge problem with underage drinking in Kingsclere.

"We don't have any offences disclosed about anything the youths might be doing, and it's for the beat officer to follow up and see what's happening, which I'm sure he will."

Pc Brian Dixon, beat officer for Kingsclere, said: "Police are working in partnership with all licence holders and I am confident that this will restrict the sale of alcohol to younger people in Kingsclere.

"I would remind parents that it is an offence to buy alcohol for underage children."

In response to Cllr Rodway's observations, Pc Dixon said: "If people let me know when it's going on, I can be there at the right time."

There are 18 zones in Kingsclere where a ban is in force on the drinking of alcohol, including around the church, the recreation ground, the Holding Field, all the children's playgrounds and the centre of town, which have been in place for about three years.

Police can confiscate alcohol from anyone drinking in these areas.