Plea over 'relentless' anti-social behaviour in Shrewsbury Quarry

An appeal to the public to report matters was made by town clerk Helen Ball and other leaders in Shrewsbury over the weekend, but the problems, which have involved planned fights, boozing, drug deals and littering, have shown little sign of letting up.

"It's just relentless," she said. "The security team sends us details of what's happening. They start at 5pm and it's just throughout the whole evening kids are behaving inappropriately in the park.

"The rubbish they leave behind is unbelievable. I wish people would just pick up after themselves."

Last Tuesday around 300 young people were in the park for a planned fight, which took up a vast amount of police resources in the town. There hasn't been anything as serious reported this week, but Helen is keen for people to make sure they call police if they see anything untoward.

The town council currently has three security guards in the park from 5pm to 11pm to assist the public and radio the police if any violence or serious anti-social behaviour takes place.

Priority

A dispersal order was in place at the end of last week. Police were reviewing body-work camera footage to try to identify culprits.

Officers say that anti-social behaviour crime in the Quarry and town centre is a priority which is being taken seriously, and they have been engaging with schools to deal with youngsters who might be involved, with a focus on prevention rather than criminalising them.

Inspector Saf Ali said: "We have identified some of the kids involved and spoken to the schools and the parents. It's not just about going and getting them out of the Quarry, There needs to be engagement, if they might be at risk of using drugs or if there's anything going on at home."

Superintendent Stuart Bill added: "It can be intimidating for people to see these big groups of youths so it's about educating them around that."

If anyone sees any anti-social behaviour, they are advised to report it either on 101 or 999 or the West Mercia Police online reporting channels.