I WISH to respond to your news item 'Police in clamp down on gang of nuisance youths' (February 8).

Our council taxes would be better spent on the youth services rather than five police officers patrolling local shops, at best moving teenagers on to other areas.

We should be asking why our youth clubs are not open more often. Moor Lane Youth Centre in Dringhouses which also serves Woodthorpe, is open two evenings each week from 7pm -9pm, and one evening a week from 5.30pm - 7.30pm - a total of six hours.

Teenagers need to socialise. If City of York Council does not accommodate these young people they will congregate around well-lit shops.

Children and youths are finding it increasingly difficult to keep a low profile. Areas where youngsters used to play football now display "no ball games" signs. Local woods are out of bounds, green areas have been built on, and our play park has a great fence around it, leaving only one exit. All very disturbing.

Our problems are self-made and until we change our attitude towards youths our problems will escalate. Police will continue to be called and their time wasted.

The effort we make complaining to the police would be better spent addressing the problem more realistically. We live in an area of two and three bedroomed houses most of which are occupied by young people.

We are the adults. Children and youths are our responsibility and it is us who are letting down our youngsters.

Wendy Barker,

Leeside,

Dringhouses, York.

Updated: 11:12 Friday, February 15, 2002