Under-age boozers in Angus seem to have moved away from outdoor “drinking dens” to home environments.
Chief Superintendent Paul Anderson said police were exploring the reasons for the move ‘indoors’ with the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership.
“There were no reports of our young people socialising in outdoor drinking dens,” said Mr Anderson, in his quarterly local policing report to Angus Council.
“There is some evidence to suggest that this activity has moved indoors.
“This is being explored with the Alcohol and Drugs Partnership.”
Outdoor drinking moving indoors has implications for preventive alcohol strategies and outreach social work.
It is not illegal for children aged from five upwards to drink in the home or on private premises.
But health officials have warned parents to keep children away from alcohol until they are at least 15 years old.
North East Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said: “This is a worrying development which must make dealing with under-age drinking more challenging for those agencies charged with helping young people.”
“We need to see if this is being replicated in other areas and what can be done to combat it effectively. It is also vital that adequate resource is available to ensure that young people know the dangers of abusing alcohol.”
It comes just days after a study found half of British parents with children under the age of 14 allow them to drink alcohol at home.
Mr Anderson said overall crime in Angus has reduced by 10% but anti-social behaviour and disorder has gone up.
He said: “Complaints of disorder have increased by 18.5% from 955 reports last year to 1,132 for this reporting period.
“As with our violence picture many of these incidents occur indoors.
“Another contributory factor is the increase in juvenile and youth offenders.
“The dedicated community SPOCS and staff within the Community Safety HUB, The Mart, Forfar, proactively work with partners to address anti-social behaviour across Angus.
“The direction of travel is encouraging and the reduction in the number of vandalisms 301 to 200 reflects this work.”
Mr Anderson said the 33.6% reduction is accompanied by an 8.9% increase in the detection rate.
He added: “Officers are regularly tasked with patrolling problematic areas and proactively visiting persistent offenders.
“This is complemented by the repeat caller process where identified officers are allocated specific issues to problem solve with partners.
“This approach will be built on as we move forward.”
