Youngsters cause disturbance at Eastbourne shopping centre

Youngsters were seen causing a nuisance by an Eastbourne shopping centre last weekend (December 4-5), according to police.

Police said while on an Operation Blitz patrol, which aims to tackle anti-social behaviour in the town, they were called to The Beacon ‘several times’.

A Sussex Police spokesperson said, “This was because of younger people causing nuisances and disturbances in and around the centre.

“This is something which has a significant impact on businesses and people using the restaurants, cinema and other amenities - this behaviour is not acceptable and is being dealt with as robustly as we can do.

“We know the identity of this group and our enquiries are progressing.

“The Beacon is a great asset for the town and we are doing all we can to continue to keep it a pleasant place for local people and visitors to enjoy.”

In regards to the anti-social behaviour, director James Roberts said the centre takes a zero tolerance approach.

He said, “Our team works incredibly closely with the police anyway so any anti-social behaviour is nipped in the bud very quickly and in collaboration with police and it is not just The Beacon’s responsibility, or the police’s responsibility, it is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that the town is safe and secure.

“Our anti-social behaviour is very minor because we take a zero tolerance [approach].

“We make sure that it doesn’t occur on the site repetitively and if there was any negative impact we would be working with the police to ensure that they weren’t permitted into the site.”