Officers held the first 'Parent Patrol' on Saturday night when the father of a local teenager joined police on a tour of the town centre.

As well as being taken to known youth trouble hotspots the dad, who has asked not to be named, got a behind-the-scenes look at how the police deal with youngsters.

Sgt Neil Sladen, who joined the parent on patrol, said: "It's a two-way process. There's a deterrent aspect to it. If a group of kids expect their own parent or a friend's parent to see them doing something they shouldn't then it might put them off. If this can deter any anti-social behaviour then it's worth doing.

"It's also an education thing for the parents who want to see what we do in preventing crime and disorder.

"A lot of people have a perception of what life is like when it goes dark. The reality, in most cases, is it's not as bad as that perception.
"If the parents come out with the police on a Friday or Saturday night in Leyland they can say they've seen it with their own eyes."

Sgt Sladen said the police have previously taken the press, headteachers, councillors and MPs out of patrol to show them how they operate and it was decided to extend that to parents.

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