ARRESTING children aged as young as 12 is being used as "a last resort" to tackle a spike in anti-social behaviour in Colwyn Bay.

North Wales Police has carried out two dispersal orders in the town centre over the last six weeks – the latest across two days this month aimed at tacking harassment and property damage, while last month an order followed the assault of two police officers and a teenager suffering a head injury.

The force has identified three groups, a total of 20 individuals, who are said to mostly be males around the age of 12, and made arrests after earlier engagement efforts were “getting nowhere”.

“The arrests have now stopped the youths and their group of associates, and their behaviour has dropped off to almost zero since that happened,” said Sgt Dan Ball, who is managing the response to anti-social behaviour in the town, the majority of which take place in Old Colwyn and the Dingle area.

“The dispersal order served its purpose but there is an awful lot of work going on to address the ongoing problem, and it is a long-term project.

“We have already identified what we are considering to be the core group of offenders and two arrests have been made. These are mostly young males aged around 12 years old.

“The fact is that arresting kids at that age is quite significant and should only be a last resort. The work we have done with them so far seems to be getting nowhere.

“We have been engaging with the groups for a while now and that work will continue, as it is already having some positive effects.”

Sgt Ball said officers had approached the parents of another “group ringleader” to warn them of the consequences of further incidents.

Colwyn Bay has been awarded £246,600 under the Safer Streets Fund, which will be used to find long-term solutions to crimes such as theft and anti-social behaviour.

Police and Conwy County Borough Council are expected to engage with community groups and residents to find practical solutions and identify areas of the town that require the most attention.

“This is not a new problem; it was taking place when I worked here in the neighbourhood team a number of years ago, but it has spiked this year,” Sgt Ball said.

“There are probably less than 20 kids involved but they are causing a significant problem and affecting a lot of people. It is a cycle that goes on year on year, as the younger kids see what they are doing.

“At the moment the only real solution is punitive action, which has its place, but there is a bigger issue here. The only way to solve it is by working with the community.”

The force has developed a joint action plan with Conwy County Borough Council to tackle anti-social behaviour in the town after a local authority review was prompted by councillors and residents two years.

Christopher Hughes, county councillor for Glyn ward, who led calls for the anti-social behaviour review, said: “I have been lobbying police and the local council’s anti-social behaviour team and they have been very active but often people just turn up late at night, and not in the same place every night, so patrols not always effective.

“Police can’t do everything; they can’t be on every street corner 24/7. Parents need an element of responsibility for their children too, and it can be difficult to employ youth workers on the streets late at night.”