ANTI-SOCIAL youngsters who cause "havoc" in a village should be named and shamed says an angry councillor.

Coun Bob Bullock attacked the way the law seems to protect underage criminals at the parish annual meeting in Kempsey.

The county councillor said: "Why are these young people under the age of 16 not named?

"Why are they protected by the law? Why the devil do we have 12, 14 and 16-year olds causing havoc yet they are not named which means their parents can't be criticised by other parents?

"That's something that needs to change completely."

As previously reported in your Worcester News vandals have ripped gaping holes in the village cricket pavilion in Plovers Rise which caused the roof to leak, thrown flour and eggs at cars on the A38 and covered walls, telephone boxes, houses and even the parish hall with 17 graffiti 'tags'.

However, Inspector Clive Griffiths, who was at the annual meeting, said sometimes youngsters were identified and this would happen "more and more" in future.

Insp Griffiths also claimed that crime had fallen throughout the Malvern Hills district, which includes Kempsey.

He said burglary had fallen by 25 per cent, vehicle crime by 20 per cent, violent crime by four per cent, criminal damage by nine per cent and all crime by 11 per cent (2007/08 compared to 2006/07).

He said there were 433 fewer victims of crime in the district in 2007/08 when compared to 2006/07.

West Mercia police have secured anti-social behaviour orders against two people within the village.

Insp Griffiths said: "What are their parents doing? Many of them live in the village.

"Policing does require help from the public and if we're going to get justice, we need witnesses."

PC Allen Naulls, also present, said there was a quiet period in Kempsey lasting three to four months when there was little crime although he admitted it had "picked up" again in the last two to three months .

PC Naulls said: "It's not just our youth. There are individuals coming into the village who are certainly raising our levels of incidents.

"We have made arrests and we have had people to court. Believe it or not the crime has gone down from the previous year.

"It's not all doom and gloom."

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