Enough Is Enough as Hanley Residents Grow Fed Up With Fighting in Broad Daylight

The images seen by Six Towns Daily show two young people apparently involved in a physical confrontation outside a fast-food restaurant, while members of the public are nearby.

It is the kind of behaviour that many people in the community are becoming increasingly fed up with. Families, shoppers, workers and older residents should be able to walk through Hanley town centre without having to encounter fights, intimidation or groups of young people causing trouble.

And this is not happening in isolation.

Just last week, Staffordshire Police were called to Upper Market Square in Hanley following reports that a teenage boy had been stabbed after a fight involving a group of young people. A 17-year-old was taken to hospital and arrested, while a second teenager was later arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon. Police also introduced a temporary dispersal order in the town centre.

Police already identify anti-social behaviour and gatherings of young people as an issue in the Hanley area, with additional patrols and dispersal powers being used when necessary.

There have also been wider concerns about disorder involving young people in the city. First Bus recently introduced restrictions on unaccompanied under-16s travelling after 6pm in Stoke-on-Trent following a series of anti-social behaviour incidents, including a disturbance involving more than 100 young people at Hanley bus station.

But enforcement can only go so far.

There is also a responsibility that sits much closer to home.

Parents and carers need to know what their children are doing when they are out in Hanley.

If your child is old enough to be spending time in the town centre without you, they are old enough to understand that fighting, threatening people and behaving aggressively in public is not acceptable.

Talk to your children.

Ask where they are going. Ask who they are with. Ask what they are getting up to. And make it clear that joining in with a group, filming a fight or standing around encouraging violence is not harmless fun.

For many people, Hanley is their town centre. It is where they work, shop, meet friends, eat and spend time with their families.

They should not have to walk past scenes like this and wonder whether a confrontation is about to turn into something far more serious.

Nobody is suggesting that every young person is responsible for the behaviour of a minority. The vast majority simply want to enjoy their day without causing problems.

But the minority who repeatedly cause trouble are having an impact on everyone else.

Hanley belongs to the whole community, and people are entitled to feel safe there.