You see them on street corners in every town: groups of furtive teenagers looking for company but often finding trouble. Fairly or not, they usually get the blame for vandalism, assaults and drunken midnight shouts that shatter the peace in otherwise deserted suburban streets.

Now police in Redruth, a Cornish town plagued by antisocial behaviour, are to impose a nighttime curfew on under16s during the school summer holidays.

The former tin and copper mining centre decided to introduce Operation Goodnight after residents complained about underage drinking and feeling intimidated by groups of young people. Officers in the town, which won an award for its revamped centre last year, hope to clear everyone under the age of 16 off the streets by 9pm. Those aged under 10 will be expected at home by 8pm.

Letters have been sent to 700 families living on large housing estates in the north of the town, asking for their cooperation in enforcing the voluntary curfew between July 25 and September 7. Parents who do not agree to the scheme, and whose children are found out after 9pm, could be subject to parenting or antisocial behaviour orders.

Last winter police in Redruth reduced dramatically the number of incidents of vandalism by imposing a dispersal order preventing young people from gathering outside after dark.

The curfew was suggested by a neighbourhood beat officer, PC Marc Griffin, after the success of the dispersal orders. “We are not saying that our town is worse than anywhere else in Britain because it isn’t, but people believe that parents should take greater responsibility for their children,” he said.

“We’re not trying to persecute young people but we think that if they are out after 9pm they should be accompanied by an adult and most of the people who have reacted to the proposal agree with this.”

He said that the curfew would also prevent children becoming the victims of crime. “Young people are at an increased risk of becoming either a victim or offender of crime and of antisocial behaviour if left unsupervised during the evenings,” he said.

“This is a voluntary scheme but there is a hard edge in that if we find families who aren’t getting involved we can make orders. The spirit of this scheme is not about restricting what our young people can and cannot do, but making certain that during the summer holiday evenings they are able to enjoy themselves – but not at the expense of the wider community.”

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said that most children would go home willingly if challenged. Others might have to be “escorted”. He said: “There are a belligerent few who will refuse to comply but officers are more than capable of persuading them to do so.”

Police hope that the scheme will not only tackle young offenders but will also put the spotlight on parents who are failing to take responsibility for their offspring. A number of different organisations including social services have been involved in drawing up plans for the curfew. The fire brigade has organised football coaching sessions in the hope of keeping teenagers active and off the streets.

Redruth, which has a population of 13,000, has one of the highest crime rates in Cornwall, although it is still well below the national average.

Community groups have welcomed Operation Goodnight. Ann Mitchell, 60, chairwoman of the Helping Hands residents’ association, said: “It is only a minority of kids who cause the problem. It tends to be underage drinking, petty vandalism and verbal abuse. Some of the language is awful.

“We’ve got one child who has managed to work out how to climb a street lamp and turn them all off. I applaud the curfew and hope that it keeps the streets a lot quieter.”

Parents in the Close Hill area, where the curfew will be enforced, were mostly positive about the idea. Nicki Summers, 37, a mother of two teenage boys, said: “Everyone around here knows who the bad lads are. It’s the same few every time and their parents are just as bad. The more police action the better.”

One father, however, was not convinced: “It’s just more words from police to make it sound like they’re doing something. What they need is more police on the beat. That’s the only way to stop trouble.”

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