A meeting held this week to discuss a ban that has been imposed on under 18s travelling on a late night bus service from Tenby, could result in the offenders receiving further sanctions during school time if they continue to misbehave. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the prohibition on teenagers using the Tenby to Kilgetty service buses on a Friday evening that had been introduced by Silcox Coaches and to try and find a mutually acceptable solution to allow the prohibition to be lifted. The meeting at the De Valence on Tuesday was chaired by Tenby's Mayor, Clr. John Griffiths, with the police, Silcox Coaches, publicans, Greenhill School pupils and staff and local councillors in attendance. Local AM Angela Burns was also present. "It was a very positive and constructive meeting which will hopefully result in a temporary lifting of this unfair ban," commented Mrs. Burns, who had called the ban 'draconian' when she learnt of its introduction. "The Greenhill sixth formers and the police are now working alongside each other in putting together a package of measures to try to stop the problems, and if Silcox Coaches accept the plans, they will open the buses up again for a trial month from Friday, October 26, to see if it works," she continued. The measures are likely to include uniformed police and Greenhill School teachers vetting passengers getting on at the town centre bus stop. A letter may also go out to all pupils warning them that they will be prosecuted if they misbehave and what a devasting effect this could have on their future lives. Greenhill School's head of sixth form, Mr. Julian Dessent, said at the meeting that the frustration amongst those well-behaved children was so great that they would be happy to see the unruly element prosecuted, with further sanctions within school. He suggested senior staff could be available on a Friday evening for a trial period monitoring the situation, which could prove effective if students realised that their behaviour on those nights could also have repercussions in school. Inspector Russell Smith, of Tenby Police Station, said that he would be prepared to commit officers in the short term for a trial scheme to assist the staff members in identifying unruly students. Earlier Insp. Smith backed Mr. Keith Silcox's decision to introduce the ban, stating that it was not, as many believed, a small minority causing problems. He felt if people saw the CCTV footage they would appreciate the scale of the problem, but unfortunately it was still the subject of possible court proceedings and therefore sub judice. Insp. Smith said that the situation on the bus was just part of the problem of underage teenage drinking in Tenby on a Friday night and that the Neighbourhood Policing Team were actively working on the problem. Mr. Silcox explained during the meeting that the prohibition had been brought in following consultation with the police and Pembrokeshire County Council due to unacceptable behaviour of teenagers on the 10.15 pm service bus to Kilgetty from Tenby. Not only were adult passengers feeling intimated, but also his drivers equally so, to the extent that they had even threatened not to drive the buses. There had been problems historically with this route, due in the main to the number of teenagers who had obviously been drinking, but matters had come to a head when new vehicles fitted with CCTV had been used. This clearly showed the scale of the problem. When one of the new vehicles had had its roof damged, it had been the last straw, and following consultation he had introduced a prohibition on teenagers below the age of 18 using the route from 6 pm on a Friday night unless accompanied by a responsible adult. As a result, there was no longer a problem on this service. When he had introduced the ban, he had said that anyone who felt aggrieved was welcome to write in to him and he would consider each individual case personally. However, although six verbal complaints had been made, none had been made in writing. All agreed at the meeting to a suggestion by AM Angela Burns that Mr. Dessent and Insp. Smith devise a programme of rewards and sanctions Greenhill School could impose for unruly behaviour and how the police and staff could work together to identify problems and control behaviour on the 10.15 pm bus. "What became apparent from the meeting was that the problem seemed to be caused by 14 and 15- year-olds not the sixth formers, and we must ask ourselves how these youngsters are getting their hands on the drink and also look at ways to solve that," added Mrs. Burns. Mr. Silcox agreed to discuss the proposals with his drivers, and if a suitable programme could be devised, he would consider lifting the ban for a six- week trial period starting on October 26.
