The policing inspector for Devizes believes around 12 youths are behind what he called a “concerning” rise in “violent offences.”

Insp Ben Huggins spoke to this paper about the growth of anti-social behaviour in the town after multiple instances of teenagers being involved in violent crime and knife crime.

Most recently, three youths were charged and five more were arrested following an incident of armed disorder on London Road and Naughton Avenue, during the evening of Sunday, February 5.

While Insp Huggins insisted Devizes remains a safe town, he admitted police were concerned by the increase in the use of weapons by young offenders.

He said: “What we have undoubtedly seen over the last two to three months is a significant increase in youth crime and anti-social behaviour within Devizes.

“Concerningly, we are seeing an increase in incidents involving weapons of some description. We’ve had incidents involving weapons on the street and we’ve had incidents where we’ve seen people carrying knives.

“It is concerning because the offending ranges from throwing eggs through to committing serious violent offences, including armed robbery. It is not normal to see this increase in knife crime and robberies with weapons, that is what I’m concerned about.”

Despite the number of incidents, police believe a small group of around 12 teenagers are responsible for most youth crime in the town, while the majority of young people do “brilliant things for the community.”

Police are providing additional patrols and resources to deal with the town’s issues and will be “taking a firm stance” on offending. This involves proactive arrests to send suspects to court.

But they are also appealing to parents to educate children about the dangers of carrying weapons.

“We need community support to help educate kids not to carry knives”, said Insp Huggins.

“Carrying knives is a risky business that has significant ramifications and repercussions.”

The town council are working alongside police and the county council to offer a holistic approach to tackling youth crime.

Town Clerk Simon Fisher revealed they are exploring a project to provide young people with a safe place to meet and hope to partner with youth workers.

He said: “Not all young people get the best advice or have strong support networks as they move from childhood to adolescence. They can easily make poor choices that place them on the path to criminality and disruption.

“There are a lot well behaved young people in our community that deserve our recognition and others who just need our support.”