Northern beaches: Angry teens fuelled on alcohol and prescription drugs Xanax and Valium

The northern beaches’ top cop has sent out a message to parents over his concerns that there is a rise in angry teens who are being fuelled by alcohol and in some cases prescription drugs, such as Xanax and Valium.

Northern Beaches Local Area Superintendant Dave Darcy at Manly Beach. Picture: Joel Carrett.

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Police commander Dave Darcy has written a letter to parents in the north of the peninsula about poorly behaved kids who are “fuelled on alcohol and drugs, both illegal and prescription”.

He told the Manly Daily he understood the prescribed drugs were antidepressants, Xanax and Valium.

Supt Darcy said police estimate there are about 200 youths, boys and girls, who have been acting aggressively in the Warriewood, Mona Vale and Newport areas, over the past few months.

Letter aimed at parents in the north of the peninsula.

Last weekend saw 21 sets of parents receive late night calls from police who found their alcohol affected teens on the streets.

Searches from around three dozen young people and vehicles found knives and drugs. More than a dozen were directed to move out of the area while others were cautioned or given breach of the peace notices. One is facing drugs charges.

Supt Darcy said principals in the north of the command had asked him to write a letter to parents. He was also working with bus drivers and councillors, who had told him the behvaiour of youths was unacceptable.

Youths have been causing trouble on northern beaches buses, according to police. Picture: Adam Yip.

In it he wrote children aged 13 to 18 from local schools are “out all hours of the night” and the levels of anger and aggression were confronting.

“They’re reacting angrily and aggressively towards members of the public, bus drivers and police,” he wrote. “Some are engaged in malicious damage to property, assault and even interfering with police trying to do their jobs.

“It’s behaviour that’s escalated from the problematic to, in some cases, the criminal. People including police are being attacked and injured.”

Supt Darcy said their behaviour is being captured on his officers’ body cam and on cameras installed on buses.

He warned that police would be looking at videos and audio to identify them, including taking it to teachers to identify pupils and will “come knocking on their parents’ door”.

He added he was surprised that children as young as 13 and 14 were “roaming our streets at midnight under the influence of alcohol or drugs”.

He appealed to parents to talk to their children and let them know criminal behaviour has consequences.

Supt Darcy said the response from parents called over the weekend to pick up their children was overwhelmingly positive and supportive of their aims.