Bid to keep young people off the streets in run up to Christmas

Children who are spotted hanging around streets and parks late at night will be challenged by Rochdale Council in the run-up to Christmas.

In a targeted approach, police officers and members of Rochdale Council’s Youth Offending Team and Youth Service will patrol key hotspots for youth anti-social behaviour in Rochdale on Saturday night (19 December).

Any children who are out late at night and considered to be at risk of becoming victims of crime or falling into criminal behaviour will be taken off the street and into a safe place until they are picked up by their parents or carers.

The crackdown is part of Operation Staysafe, a drive to make sure young people are safe throughout the year. 

Now parents are being warned to make sure they know where their children are over the Christmas period, when Rochdale usually sees an increase in under age binge drinking.

Michael Cross, from Rochdale Youth Offending Team, said: “Operation Staysafe is a partnership approach which has been running in Rochdale throughout 2009, and we will continue to patrol areas across the borough to keep young people safe and engage parents in the process.

“We want to get the message out to parents that they need to make sure they know where their children are and that they are safe over the Christmas period. On occasions, we have seen children as young as 10 or 11 out on the streets late at night, which has caused some concern.”