POLICE binned gallons of beer, cider and wine yesterday before beginning preparations for the next stage in their battle against youth drinking and anti-social behaviour.

Officers in Cockerton dumped about 50 litres of alcohol seized from underage drinkers across Darlington.

The haul was made as part of Operation StaySafe, a Government initiative to protect vulnerable children while providing a reassuring police presence on the street.

Every Friday night in Darlington, a team of officers is dedicated to responding to reports of drinking and antisocial behaviour by young people.

The alcohol disposed of yesterday was the result of some of these patrols, which will continue into the summer.

Police community support officer (PCSO) Marc Hay said: “It’s getting a good response.

It also takes a lot of stress off the other officers around Darlington because it frees them up to deal with other matters.

“The team looks at general anti-social behaviour from young people in large groups.

“They are often drinking, and sometimes boisterous with it, although rarely do they actually commit any other criminal offence, other than the underage drinking.”

Operation StaySafe also targets off-licences with testpurchasing schemes. But it is not all about punitive measures, said PCSO Hay.

“It’s not just about confiscating alcohol, we are trying to educate them as well,” he added.

“When we ask them why they are doing this, they tell us they are bored and have nothing to do. So we are also trying to sort out other activities for them, that will keep them off the streets. We try and take a positive approach in that respect.”

Cockerton West ward councillor Jenny Chapman said the operation has so far been a success.

“I have noticed that complaints about anti-social behaviour have gone down,”

she said.

“That is a very welcome thing, but we need to make sure it continues into the summer months.

“Anti-social behaviour is taken a lot more seriously than it has been in the past, and residents are a lot more confident in making complaints.”

Coun Chapman said underage drinking is as much a health issue as it is a crime issue.

She added: “In Darlington, we have a relatively high number of young people admitted to hospital with alcohol-related problems, lots of young girls in particular, so it is good to see the police taking this seriously.”