I KNOW that anti-social behaviour can be a real problem for people across North East Cambridgeshire, and a lot of this is caused by teenage drinking. So I was really pleased that Labour s Home Secretary Jacqui Smith outlined tougher police powers and ca

I KNOW that anti-social behaviour can be a real problem for people across North East Cambridgeshire, and a lot of this is caused by teenage drinking.

So I was really pleased that Labour's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith outlined tougher police powers and called for parents and the drinks' industry to play their part in preventing young people drinking in public.

Police must have all the powers they need to make groups of young people drinking in public a thing of the past. A new campaign to confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers begins this month and lessons will be learned. At the same time we will continue to punish those few irresponsible retailers that flout the law by persistently selling to children.

Government must lead the way and I am determined they should use all the powers at their disposal to bring about change in North East Cambridgeshire.

But in order to do this they also need the support of industry, enforcement authorities and communities. Everyone needs to meet their responsibilities to make a difference. And parents must play their part too. We will give parents whose children are drinking the support they need to change their behaviour.

PETER ROBERTS

Labour Parliamentary Spokesperson for North East Cambridgeshire

Girton