A POLICE crackteam set up to tackle a hardcore of troublesome teenagers causing mayhem in Darlington, is already starting to see success.

The StreetSafe team, made up of a sergeant and four constables, has been targeting a group of 50 youths who orchestrate many of the anti-social problems in the town, and a group of 300 who cause nuisance.

Yesterday, Inspector Chris Reeves, who leads the team, said members of the public had already praised them as they moved into known hotspots where youngsters get drunk and then cause trouble, especially on Friday nights.

Investigative work by the team had uncovered that the youths buy alcohol from off-licences on their way home from school between 3pm and 4pm.

Uniformed officers have since been out to the off-licences and have been working with shopkeepers.

Insp Reeves said: "The fact that we are showing a visible presence around off-licences is stopping older people buying alcohol for younger ones."

During the day, the crackteam has been dealing with anti-social behaviour such as youths using motorbikes in parks and on scrubland.

Insp Reeves said: "We get a significant number of complaints of noise nuisance from people using the bikes and we have been targeting that type of crime."

The team has issued dispersal notices to the trouble-makers - these work as yellow cards do in football matches, giving youngsters a warning. If they then are caught again the police can confiscate their bikes.

Insp Reeves said: "The impact we have had on off-road vehicles has been marked and residents have praised the officers.

"As far as I am concerned the measure of success for the unit will be comments from members of the public, rather than the number of arrests."

In the evenings, the officers have been focusing on problems in the Branksome and Cockerton areas.

Seven people were arrested when the team started operating a few weeks ago.

Since then there have been two youths reported for using motorbikes on the roads.

They have been summonsed to appear at court.

Insp Reeves said four other teenage boys were going to be arrested on Monday for vehicle crime.