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Police have issued a stern warning
Gangs of teenagers are breaking into abandoned buildings and running across rooftops in Torquay, a local resident has said.
Devon and Cornwall Police said officers have seen an increase in young people entering disused premises and in anti-social behaviour in the town.
A local witness told DevonLive he saw a group of teenage boys climb over an 8-foot boarded gate at The Terrace and enter an empty property stairwell, before they were seen heading across balconies and onto the slated roof of the next building.
“The gang of teenagers harassed, verbally intimidated an observer who called DCP police, was advised to call DCP police after previous ‘trouble’ at these boarded up properties during the hours of darkness,” he told DevonLive.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the force was called about suspicious activity from a group of males at around 7.15pm on Saturday, February 7.
“It was further reported that they were seen on Lower Union Lane, Torquay, around 8.25pm the same day,” a force spokesperson said.
“Some young people have been identified from the incidents, and they will begin the anti-social behaviour (ASB) escalation process we have working with our child-centred policing team.”
A local resident told DevonLive that other incidents have involved young people harassing and verbally abusing members of the public outside stores and petty theft.
“Only the other evening another young male was seen to violently kick the locked entrance gate at Beacon Cove, Torquay, when he was challenged and told to go and violently kick his own door, he replied that he would “kick the head in” of the observer,” he said.
Devon and Cornwall Police said it is working with local groups to stop anti-social behaviour in Torquay before it escalates.
The force said: “We are seeing an increase in young people going into abandoned buildings in the Torquay area which poses a risk to their safety, with derelict buildings going into disrepair, starting to crumble and can have uneven floors.
“We recognise that anti-social behaviour (ASB) undermines confidence, damages quality of life, and our approach starts with prevention, identifying the causes of ASB early and addressing them with local and relevant agencies.
“We work with partners by investing in early interventions, diversionary activities and youth engagement to stop ASB before it escalates.”
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