Anti-social behaviour hot spots have been targeted in a bid to tackle increasing instances of the crime in Falmouth over the past year.

Falmouth Town Council's environmental, education and enforcement officer team was, was joined by Mayor Kirstie Edwards, Cllr (CC) Jayne Kirkham and several partners from Safer Falmouth on a multi-agency walk through the town, following a recent increase in reported ASB incidents in Falmouth over the last few months.

The walk last week was at the start of Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week and follows increasing problems in the town.

Last month Andy Medlin, the facilities manager, told a meeting of the grounds, facilities & environment committee that they had experienced unprecedented levels of ASB throughout the town but particularly Kimberley Park and Prince of Wales Pier toilets.

He said in the park there had been vandalism of play equipment and graffiti on play equipment, toilets and trees. Trees were being damaged and requiring removal.

He said it was becoming a no-go area for families because of the intimidating atmosphere.

Toilet damage included smashed doors, fires internally and graffiti. He said elements of this were identified on daily basis with it being worse at the weekends.

The group visited many of the town's ASB hotspots including Prince of Wales Pier, various opes, the High Street, Avenue Road and Gylly Beach with the purpose of identifying safety issues and looking at ways the agencies could work together to deter further incidents of ASB in these areas, including increased partner patrols.

During the morning, the group engaged with at least 60 members of the public and was able to offer support to rough sleepers and engage with vulnerable adults, as well as offer general advice about road restrictions in the town and safety issues around the harbour.

Following the walkabout Oliver Bayliss, Cornwall Council's Community Safety Officer said: “It was great to see so many of our hard-working police, fire and rescue, WeAreWithYou, St Petrocs and Cornwall Council partners out and about, actively engaging members of the public and working together to solve some of the challenges we face in Falmouth.

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"We engaged and offered support to several vulnerable adults in the town and visited anti-social behaviour hotspots to offer a visible presence. We also spoke to victims of anti-social behaviour to develop actionable intelligence which we can work on in the future."

Anyone who witnesses any anti-social behaviour in Falmouth, should report it in the first instance through www.police.uk or www.devon-cornwall.police.uk websites and then to Cornwall Council through the 'report it' pages on their website, under anti-social behaviour: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/report-something/

ASB Awareness Week is also about knowing your rights as a victim of ASB. More information on the little known about ASB Case Review, which gives victims of persistent antisocial behaviour the right to request a multi-agency case review, can be found here: https://bit.ly/ASB-case-review