DARTMOUTH'S Royal Avenue Gardens may become the subject of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order.

The move would give give the police greater powers to move on or even arrest troublesome youths

As a first step, young people are being invited to have their say next Friday at 6pm at Dartmouth Youth Club, Ivy Lane, when they will have the opportunity to fill in a questionnaire about their thoughts and feelings about the gardens and the possibility of an ASBO in the centre of the town.

Pc Debbie Marjoram, youth officer for the area, has been working with neighbourhood beat manager Pc Ian Simons to combat the problems related to young people in the town.

She said: 'We want as many of the younger members of the community to come down and fill in the questionnaire as possible. We can also tell them about the proposals and what they mean.

'The questions will be things related to the gardens like: Do you feel safe? Have you ever been bullied or hassled by older people? Are you worried about drinking and drugs? Have you ever been asked to move on?

'We will use the result to implement the way forward, whether that is an ASBO or some other crime prevention method. However I think it is likely there will be an ASBO in Dartmouth.'

The ASBO would mean that the police could issue a dispersal notice if there were groups of two or more youths reported creating a disturbance or harassing people. The groups could be ordered to move on and must not return within two hours or they would be arrested.

The youth of Dartmouth have been causing concern and were one of the main topics discussed at last week's town council meeting where members of the public called for more police presence and prevention of anti-social behaviour.

An ASBO has been implemented in Brixham and is running successfully. However, young people were consulted only after it came into effect, so Dartmouth hopes to prevent any trouble by going through the consultation process first.

Several prizes have been offered as incentives to fill in the questionnaire and they include four annual memberships and free lesson at Dartmouth Golf and Country Club and book vouchers.

Chris Lowe, team leader for the Youth Enquiry Services, supports the questionnaire.

'I think it's a good idea to consult young people about their fears and expectations of this kind of order,' he said.

'As a youth worker I believe we should be looking to provide facilities for young people as opposed to just moving them around.

'The Youth Enquiry Service and South Hams Council have planned a Friday night event for young people at the new leisure centre. This should be a positive alternative to the gardens.'