ARE gangs of thugs ruling our streets? Bolton Evening News feature writer JENNIFER BRADBURY talks to the victims of Crime and how they believe the unruly yobs are taking over. ARE gangs of unruly youths taking over our streets? In just one day this week more than 20 residents living on the Pewfist in Westhoughton woke up to find their car tyres slashed. A teenage thug pointed a lighted firework at a terrified woman's face when she pleaded with a gang to stop terrorising residents. Janet Young's ordeal was the latest in a catalogue of terror suffered by women living near Brownlow Fold CP School in Halliwell. And drunken teenagers were blamed for a wrecking spree at a garage in Westhoughton -- the 20th time the garage has been hit in just three months.

Joint owner of the crime ravaged firm, John Thomson, said: "The kids around here are ruling themselves. There is no one to stop them."

Police Insp Fred Menzies agreed that, like other areas, there is a problem with youth crime in Westhoughton. But he called on parents to involve themselves more with their children.

"At the end of the day," he stated, "it is down to discipline and parents have to be more responsible for what their children get up to."

Next year the Crime and Disorder Bill is due to become law. This, it is hoped, will put the responsibility on parents to take action to prevent their children getting into trouble.

Cllr David Wilkinson, leader of Westhoughton Council, agreed that youth crime was a major problem.

Earlier this year youths drinking alcohol and taking drugs were blamed for a crime plague in the Daisy Hill area.

He said police staged a high profile clampdown which dealt with the problem. But he added: "While the police were there, no doubt trouble was erupting elsewhere."

Westhoughton Council, he said, recognised the problems and was trying to get more people involved in youth work.

"The council has also supported the setting up in Bolton Road of a drop-in centre for youngsters. But this is not going to have a major impact from day one. Also, you have to bear in mind that the young people who will use it, will want that help. What about those who don't?"

He also believes that it is only a minority of youngsters who behave unacceptably. But that these few, disrupt the lives of many hundreds of people.

And this he blames on their parents, too few police, and "soft deterrents".

Cllr Wilkinson welcomed the introduction of curfews for youngsters and the bill that will make parents responsible for their children's behaviour.

But he admitted that he hadn't much confidence in these measures making much difference.

"I agree with these measures but they need to be backed up with more resources.

"It's old fashioned but the best deterrent is still bobbies on the beat. Bobbies who know their patch, who know the people, and know who the villains are.

"But we're moving further away from that. It's no use introducing new laws if there's nobody there to enforce them."

And this lack of police presence, will, he claims, worsen with the proposed closures of the police stations in Westhoughton, Horwich, Farnworth and Little Lever.

He was also critical of parents who "sat back" while their children terrified and tormented other people.

"There are parents out there who have failed their children miserably. These people don't give a monkey 's about what their kids get up to and they never will."

He added: "That's why I'm all for preventative measures. I'd get them as young as I could, primary school if necessary, so that they don't fall through the net and get involved in criminal activities."

Doris Fernandez, from the Federation of residents and tenants that covers six estates in Little Hulton, said her group was taking positive action to rid the streets of youth crime by working closely with the police and local authority

She blamed the majority of youth crime on drugs.

"Unfortunately we live in a society where some young people take drugs. Drugs are their be all and end all. They want this great feeling but at the same time they make everyone else's life a misery. But it's also sad because they get hooked. I know what I'd like to do to the drug dealers."

But she stressed that she thought that most young people were "good kids".

"It's the minority that cause mayhem. They need to be punished, but their parents also need punishing, and, in my books should be punished more severely. Once you lose the discipline within the family you might as well throw the towel in. There has to be discipline for the parent's sake, the child's sake, and society's sake. "

In a bid to fight the problems associated with gangs of youths hanging around the streets, Farnworth Central Residents' Association, is currently in negotiation with the council to secure a place where young people can go, especially after school and during the holidays. There is also a "clean up the streets" project which gives youngsters the opportunity to improve their local environment.

Secretary, Margaret Mullarkey, said that most problems were associated with youngsters who hung around Farnworth market at night. On several occasions the fire brigade had been called out to deal with fires on the site caused by these young people.

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