Parents 'cause underage drink problem'
PARENTS have been blamed for helping to create problems with drunken youngsters in a quiet market town.
Insp Tim Powell, who is head of the Beccles policing sector, said that police and trading standards had been tackling stores which sell alcohol, but that the biggest source was parents.
Insp Tim Powell, who is head of the Beccles policing sector, said that police and trading standards had been tackling stores which sell alcohol, but that the biggest source was parents. "Disappointingly, in the main alcohol is mostly purchased by parents who have allowed them to take it onto the streets. We have shared that information with the parents."
Crime has fallen by 9pc in Beccles over the past year, which amounts to 140 fewer crimes, but criminal damage in the town centre is the "area of concern". There has been a spate of broken windows and graffiti in recent weeks, although some of the perpetrators have been caught. Insp Powell told Beccles' annual town meeting: "If we could get a handle on criminal damage in the town our crime figures would be excellent." He supports bringing CCTV cameras to the town, although Waveney District Council has said they are unlikely because of the expense.