A TOP police officer has told those behind a spate of anti-social behaviour: “We’re coming for you.”

As reported in the Daily Echo, Dorset Police has launched a crackdown after reports of problems at Poole bus station, Canford Heath and Christchurch’s Somerford estate.

Groups of young people who gather at the bus station have allegedly threatened staff working in nearby businesses, smashed bus lights and thrown missiles at passing vehicles.

Bus passengers have also reportedly been spat at and KFC was vandalised.

Officers from the Poole Town Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team have stepped up their patrols to tackle the problem.

Now Superintendent Jared Parkin, who has responsibility for policing across Poole, Purbeck and Bournemouth, has given a warning to everyone involved in such anti-social behaviour.

“We are not going to tolerate this any more,” he said.

“This is a key issue for the public, and it’s something we take very seriously.

“We absolutely understand that anti-social behaviour impacts people’s lives.

“We’re on it, and what I’d like to say to anyone responsible for this type of behaviour is, we’re coming for you. We are not going to allow this to continue.”

Representatives from the police, Poole council. schools, the Dolphin Centre and Morebus held crisis talks on Wednesday night to discuss the issue.

Police are also working with Poole’s business improvement district (BID) team to discuss how to protect retailers.

Officers are currently working to identify peak times for anti-social behaviour “hotspots”. Representatives from different agencies will then attend during these key times to tackle any issues.

Supt Parkin said police will only criminalise children as a last resort. Instead, the force hopes to work with parents, schools and the council to change behaviour.

Those involved in anti-social behaviour may be issued with a dispersal notice or banned from an area for a period of time. Some youths have also been taken home.

Supt Parkin said such tactics have worked well elsewhere in the borough.

“Our coordinated approach to tackling anti-social behaviour in Bournemouth Gardens, Op Fireglow, has been a great success,” he said.

“In 2017, there were 477 incidents in the gardens. This year, there have been 32.”

The Daily Echo has reported on a range of troubling incidents this year.

  • In September, shocking videos of young teenagers engaged in bare-knuckle fights in Canford Heath were posted to social media. Residents said they had been 'terrorised' by a gang of youths, some as young as 12, throughout the summer
  • During the same month, residents living near Alexandra Park in Parkstone reported persistent anti-social behaviour during a public consultation ahead of an £82,000 refurbishment
  • People in Christchurch have raised concerns over "dangerous levels" of anti-social behaviour after attacks on buses