Perth officers tackling anti-social behaviour after Halloween stabbing
They've launched Operation Stung as they respond to outdoor gatherings of youngsters of up to 100
Police are looking to clamp down on anti-social behaviour among youngsters in Perth following the stabbing of a teenager.
A 15-year-old was rushed to hospital on Halloween with serious injuries
Officers have recently seen a rise in the number of teens gathering outdoors - breaking coronavirus restrictions.
Inspector Kerry Lynch is heading up Operation Stung, which looks to better engage with youngsters in the city.
"Some of the numbers of youths congregating have been has as high as 100. That's been witnessed by members of the public as well as my officers who're out there, so it is large groups," she said.
"There's been vandalism, general noise complaints, littering. That's led on to youths fighting with each other, there've been assaults.
"There is a seriousness to it. If a 15-year-old boy being stabbed isn't serious enough, police vehicles have been damaged.
"It is debilitating other people going about their day to day business."
There is no evidence to suggest the number of reports of anti-social behaviour have increased during lockdown, but Inspector Lynch adds the pandemic has made it more difficult to reach out to parts of the community.
"There's quite a gap in how we engage with young people so that's a real focus of Operation Stung, to get engaged with the young people in Perth, to try and work with them."
In a weekend call-out earlier this month, officers found youngsters intoxicated on the railway line near the South Inch Tunnels.