Police and youth workers join forces to support young people

OFFICERS from Westbury Police teamed up with local youth workers to speak with young people and help tackle concerns around anti-social behaviour (ASB). 

The White Horse News joined officers from the Warminster Neighbourhood Policing Team and youth workers from 4Youth as they spoke with young people across Westbury during Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness (ASB) Week. 

The activity aimed to offer advice, build relationships and highlight the positive support available for young people in the town. 

“We talk about drugs and we talk about antisocial behaviour,” said Carly and Emma from 4Youth, which runs a free youth group every Friday between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at Westbury Parish Hall. 

“Because we do the Friday club as well, we give young people a place to come and feel safe, especially in the winter. They feel like they come in and It’s a nice place to be and meet with their friends. We see a lot of the same faces; it’s good to see them in both environments.” 

As part of the week of action, police also engaged with local schools, met with managers from Selwood Housing to carry out joint visits and tackle ongoing concerns, and targeted motorbikes and e-scooters linked to ASB with support from the specialist Wiltshire Police Drone Unit. 

PC Guy Hamel said, “Warminster Area NPT have been engaging with ASB awareness week by working with other bodies to reduce ASB by join partnership working.  

“We have also been working with youth workers to engage with children and young teens, a group that are susceptible to being dragged into ASB or being unfairly labelled as causing ASB, offering advice and diverting and disrupting behaviours that cause people to fear ASB. 

“Through this partnership working we get the best results for victims of ASB, gaining access to powers that our agencies have access to and allowing all bodies to step back and have a full picture of issues that are affecting the Westbury community.” 

If you witness ASB or have concerns in your area, report it online at https://orlo.uk/q5ucf 

Pictured l-r: PCSO Roland Revers, PC Chris Rideout, Carly, Emma, PC Guy Hamel, and PCSO Leigh Holcombe