A UK town has become overrun with drunk gangs of nine-year-olds who mock cops to their faces and beat up adults, locals claim.
An 11-year-old child was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in Paignton, Devon last week.
Locals have now told how they live in terror over school pick-up time as youths flock to stores to shoplift every day at 4pm – and loiter outside drinking until gone 9pm.
Mayooran Kailainathan, who runs Austin’s newsagent in the town, is constantly targeted by youths aged between 11 and 14.
Mayooran said: “I have only been open a month and have had to call the police seven or eight times.
“They come in after school and one will try to distract you while the others will just grab whatever drinks they can.
“They aren’t worried when the police come, they don’t even run away, they just stand there drinking until 9pm usually.
“I don’t know what to do, I am scared, I haven’t slept in 2-3 days because of this and feel fearful as we get close to 4pm every day.”
Austin’s now has two workers from 4pm which costs the business an extra £200 per week in wages on top of losses to theft.
Retired cleaner Carol Leadbetter, 67, says she barely visits the town centre in the afternoon now because of rowdy kids.
She blames the parents.
She said: “Who knows what the parents are up to while their kids run wild?
“It’s so sad that it’s come to 11-year-olds getting drunk.
“If I saw them I would have to say something, I’d like to ask them if their mum knows what they are doing?”
Charlotte Collings, 25, said she knows some of the kids and claims they act out because there’s nowhere else to go.
She said: “I think a lot of the trouble is because there is nothing for kids to do here.
“Last week my nephew got mugged and phoned 999 while it was happening but was told to find his mum and ring 101.”
PICTURESQUE ENGLISH RIVIERA TOWN TO DRUNKEN KIDS' PLAYGROUND
PAIGNTON has transformed in recent years from a part of the picturesque English Riviera and popular destination for holidaymakers to a haunt for underage drinking.
The English Riviera, made up of Torquay, Paignton, Brixham and South Devon, earnt its name when tourists compared it to the glamorous resorts along the French coast.
During the Victorian era it was a popular spot for unwell city dwellers to go to regain their health in the “purer air”.
And the area is still popular with crowds of tourists during the summer months, with many businesses relying on this footfall.
But during the winter, when the streets are quieter, drunken youths and thugs appear to have taken over.
Locals have told how they no longer feel safe as traders use walkie talkies to warn each other of unsavoury customers.
Britain’s seaside towns rely on mass tourism during the summer months, when thousands flock from cities to spend time along the sunny coastlines of Devon and Cornwall.
But during the winter businesses suffer from lower footfall, and louts have taken to the streets.
Business owners previously told how they were forced to use walkie talkies to warn each other of unruly customers.
Unemployment has risen dramatically since 2018.
There were 2,550 benefit claimants out of a population of 139,400 in Torbay in December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Almost double the 1,405 claimants during the same period five years ago.
The dark side of the English Riviera was previously exposed in a 2019 episode of Channel 4’s Call the Cops.
Officers told how they live in “constant fear” amid domestic violence, serious crime and complex mental health incidents.
Last Friday at 4pm a boy was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.
A spokesman said: “An 11-year-old boy from Paignton was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in a public place. He was later released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.”
Even in the summer, business owners along Torbay Road – dubbed the Golden Mile – told The Sun crime is a daily reality, with youths openly stealing from shop counters and turning to violence if confronted.
Who knows what the parents are up to while their kids run wild?
Carol Leadbetter
Martin Bullus, 68, who has run Come West clothing store since 1985, was attacked and beaten by a group of kids, some of whom he claims were primary school age.
He said: “There has been loads of trouble with kids and antisocial behaviour. I was assaulted about this time last year, they came in here and swore at me and gave me a load of abuse. They must’ve been aged around 10.
“One evening around 6.15pm I was in here and another lady was working and they crept in, there were about six or seven of them and I threw them out.
“They started throwing plastic bottles and stones at me. I chased them down the road and the whole lot of them just attacked me. I got punched in the face, which split my eye open.
“The police came and took them home, but when victim support came to see me they said they didn’t want to criminalise them, but the one who punched me would come back and apologise.
“They later told me the child didn’t want to apologise any more and there was nothing they could do.
“It’s toothless and it emboldens them to do more. They are out of control because they know nothing will happen to them.”
A police source said the assault was fully investigated, the suspect engaged with Youth Justice systems and the victim was kept informed.
CRIME AND SAFETY IN PAIGNTON
THE SEASIDE town of Paignton has been battling high crime and unemployment levels.
The town is among the 20 most dangerous overall out of Devon’s 403 towns, villages and cities.
There were 2,550 benefit claimants out of a population of 139,400 in Torbay in December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics.
This compares to 1,405 during the same period five years ago.
Last year 3,437 crimes were committed in Paignton – making the overall crime rate 51 crimes per 1,000 people, according to Crime Rate figures.
This marked no change from the 3,477 crimes committed in the area in 2016.
It had the worst crime rate in the county for possession of weapons, with one crime reported per 1,000 residents.
And in December 2021 it was the most dangerous area for vehicle crime in the county – at 46 crimes per 1,000 people.
The most common crimes were violence and sexual offences, with 1,775 offences in 2021.
Its least common crime is bicycle theft, according to the site.
In June a man in his 50s suffered life changing injuries after he was stabbed in the neck inside an ice cream shop on Torbay Road, while an unrelated incident last year saw cops seize a nine-inch knife off a group of primary-school children aged between nine and 11.
Paignton’s neighbourhood team leader, Sergeant Stuart White, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour [ASB] plays an important part in maintaining overall community safety and well-being and we recognise the role policing has to play in this, especially when criminal activity has occurred.
“In this instance, a Section 35 Dispersal Order was put in place and patrols were increased at the weekend which resulted in a number of youths being dispersed from the area before any ASB occurred.
“We have increased patrols, and the new Town Centres’ Officer for Torbay Council has started his full-time role within Paignton town centre, to tackle ASB, drug misuse and shoplifting.”
Councillor Hayley Tranter, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: “We know and have been hearing from our residents and community on a regular basis that our Town Centres need our attention.
“They are unfortunately suffering from a range of issues which are in the form of anti-social behaviour, littering and street drinking. These are issues we are determined to resolve.
“Putting in place this new enforcement and partnership approach is a positive step forward, making our Town Centres safer and more welcoming places for our residents, businesses and visitors.”
It comes after The Sun revealed the areas with the worst and youngest offenders.
