Police offer youths free pizzas

Police in a part of Derby have started running free pizza nights in a bid to stop young people committing anti-social behaviour.

More than 150 people signed a petition in Sinfin declaring their annoyance at the bad behaviour of some of the young people in the area.

Sgt Fiona Kilgour said not all the young people taking part were "bad", and it was a scheme for everyone.

But some local residents have said they are unhappy with the police's solution.

This was never about a miracle cure, it's one of several tactics we are developing Sgt Fiona Kilgour, Derbyshire Police

Shopkeeper and organiser of the petition Dinesh Bhandari, said he did not think the pizza plan was tackling the problem.

"Everybody's saying they're doing this, doing that but I don't think they're doing enough, they're just ticking boxes.

"With the new pizza thing, they [young people] are going to that, having the pizza but then coming here beforehand, then rounded up and taken there as if it's a pat on the back," he said.

Mr Bhandari said groups of up to 30 youths would regularly stand outside his shop on Cromarty Close, not "doing much" but their presence was "intimidating" for customers.

Sgt Fiona Kilgour said the pizza nights were part of a wider plan to engage young people.

"This was never about a miracle cure, it's one of several tactics we are developing at the moment.

"It's something we haven't tried before. It's about taking the group - and they are not all bad - from the estate, with our team so we can get to know them better, break down barriers with the aim of reducing their want or need to commit anti-social behaviour."

The pizza project will run for four weeks on Thursday and Friday nights.