DERBY: COPS SHOW YOBS THE YELLOW CARD

COPS SHOW YOBS THE YELLOW CARD

Troublemakers in Derby city centre face a two-pronged attack from this weekend.

Police will give them yellow warning cards and haul them off to a mobile police station.

Fourteen more police officers, special constables and police community support officers will be on the streets from 7pm tonight as part of Operation Relentless.

Anyone caught committing one of a range of minor offences will be handed a yellow cards with a warning on the front that they risk a fixed-penalty notice or arrest if they cause a disturbance on the city's streets.

The back of the cards shows the offence police believe they have committed - using obscene language, throwing missiles or litter, wilfully obstructing the highway, urinating in the street or being drunk and disorderly.

Anybody caught causing trouble will be taken to The Spot, where a mobile police station will be set up.

Superintendent Gary Knighton said it was hoped the mobile police station would increase awareness of the police presence on the streets and that the yellow cards would stop trouble before it started.

"We want people to come into Derby and enjoy themselves but we want them to do that without causing trouble or spoiling other people's enjoyment of the city of an evening," he said.

"The yellow cards are a warning for people to let them know what the consequences of their actions are.

"The aim of the mobile station is threefold. The first is reducing the number of assaults and incidents of disorderly behaviour in the city. The second is detecting assaults.

"And thirdly, we aim to increase awareness of police presence and provide reassurance to the public."

The mobile station is a camper-style van and will be at The Spot every Friday and Saturday Night until November 18.

It will not be permanently manned but officers will use it when needed.

Supt Knighton said: "At the moment, officers have to take people out of the city centre to St Mary's Wharf to issue things like fixed-penalty notices.

"The mobile police unit will allow them to take people to The Spot and deal with them there.

"When the operation ends, we will review how successful it was and could carry on using the mobile station."

This is the second stage of Operation Relentless.

The first ran throughout May and June and tackled a range of offences which police believe have the biggest impact on communities - violence, anti-social behaviour, criminal damage, burglary and vehicle crime.

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