A SURGE in anti-social behaviour on the Moor has incited police to step up weekend patrols in the area.

A blaze deliberately started on October 8 as is among the list of reported criminal incidents, as well as a verbal dispute between a group of youths, which officers were called to on October 7.

Sgt Kelly Rooke, community sergeant for Knutsford, told the Guardian that the police will step-up patrols around Moorside and the Moor for the next few weeks, and conduct walks in the area with town councillors and members of Friends of the Moor.

“We have had a couple of sporadic outbursts of anti-social behaviour which have spilled into the Moor,” said Sgt Rooke. “It’s a big public open space and kids are congregating there.

“In terms of the bench fire, no one has come forward with details. We are keen to speak to anyone who can tell us information.

“It’s all about prevention and we will continue to do what we always do. We regularly patrol the areas. Because of the recent incidents and criminal damage, we will be down there assessing it.”

Sgt Rooke said that Knutsford police are always keen to respond to incidents on the Moor and that they always patrol the area, even when there are no reported incidents.

“If people don’t tell us about incidents, we can’t deal with it,” she added. “We are responding to incidents as soon as they come in.

We are working with partners, we are pro-actively down there when there are incidents and we will continue to do so.”

Councillors have commended the work of the police so far and have said that the issue is a wider one of providing youngsters with other activities to keep them occupied.

Cllr James Power added: “We do need to take a wider view on this. There is an issue with lighting in the area and effective use of CCTV. But really, there are so few places for young people to go in Knutsford.

“We are working with local police, Cheshire East Council and the local schools to see if we can improve things. I would also encourage residents to report any anti-social behaviour.”

To report incidents of anti-social behaviour contact Cheshire Police on 101.