POLICE in Loughton have welcomed an initiative aimed at getting large groups of youths off the streets.

The message follows a report by Epping Forest Crime Reduction Partnership, the Charles French Trust and London Action Trust which highlights key problems for young people in the town.

Its recommendations include a cafe-style open youth space'.

Loughton neighbourhood policing team Sergeant Rob Cox said: "Loughton and the district are not unique in the problem of youths hanging around on the streets - it's nationwide. In the past we've perhaps responded to the incident rather than look at the deeper, underlying factors and as a result have been looked at as a negative agency.

"Trying to communicate with these big groups is not easy but this forum is a good base for us to get involved in and we will be looking to work alongside the people in report to reduce some of the anxieties.

"While we're never going to completely solve the problem of young people hanging around we can certainly help by getting more involved in this project."

A key area was the frustrations of young people over the dispersal order covering Loughton High Road, Station Road, Old Station Road, the Sainsbury car park and Loughton Station.

However Mr Cox said: "Dispersal orders are not made lightly. In this case it's there to move groups of people who may have been causing anti-social behaviour in an area that has been a problem, such as Loughton High Road.

"We fully accept that a vast majority of young people are not really a problem, but the issue is that if they're in a group they can be more easily influenced. We receive a disproportionate number of youth-related incidents, around three times more calls in terms of the ratio with the rest of calls combined in Loughton as a whole - we have to respond to what people want."