TWO campaigns which have cut incidents of anti-social behaviour among young people in Darlington have received national acclaim.

Summer Nights and Operation Staysafe have been hailed as national examples of good practice, with Darlington Borough Council invited to share its experiences with local authorities across the country.

The community safety partnership, which includes the council, police, primary care trust and other agencies, has helped to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour in Darlington.

In the 12 months to June, there were 9,552 incidents of anti-social behaviour in Darlington compared with 11,280 the previous year.

Incidents of youth-related anti-social behaviour fell by 22 per cent in the same period from 3,258 to 4,191. There was also a reduction in alcohol related incidents of 18 per cent, from 1,954 to 1,602.

The award-winning campaigns promoted youth activities over the summer across the whole of Darlington, with the emphasis on directing resources towards activities on Friday nights and at the weekends when young people most often complained of being bored.

Under the scheme, police officers and anti-social behaviour officers who find drunk or intoxicated young people take them to a place of safety and call parents for them to be collected.