POLICE took to Twitter to urge Acomb parents to ask their children where they were, following reports of anti-social behaviour.

North Yorkshire Police's York South division tweeted last night that there had been reports of such behaviour in the Front Street area of Acomb.

It tweeted: "PARENTS! Please ask you children where they are this evening!"

It also tweeted about a new text service launched by the force in York and Selby, aimed at parents and carers of teenage children.

"Called Be Informed, the service is designed to inform parents and carers, via text message, of any anti-social behaviour incidents in the local neighbourhood that officers are attending," it said.

"If their children are out at the time, parents and carers can then use this text as a trigger to contact their children, check their whereabouts, make sure they are ok and reassure themselves that they are not involved in the incident."

Police Community Support Officer Danny Stannard of York North Neighbourhood Policing Team, who developed the idea, said:“We all know how quickly children grow up and before you know it, they are soon teenagers, looking for their own space and independence.

“We know parents and carers want the best for their children and do everything they can to make sure any slip in behaviour doesn’t end up having serious consequences on their child’s future.

"But sometimes, keeping up with kids and knowing where they are and what they are getting up to can be challenging, even in this day and age of mobile phones and social media.

“That’s why we have launched ‘Be Informed‘, a text service delivered through our Community Messaging platform. We want to work alongside parents in making sure their children stay safe, don’t get involved in any incident of ASB and don’t end up with a criminal record.

“If our officers attend an incident of anti-social behaviour in the York or Selby area, we’ll send out a text to those who live nearby and are registered with the service.

"Parents and carers will receive an update on the incident, sent straight to their phone. They can then use this information to make contact with their child, to find out where they are and be reassured that they are ok.

"It’s really easy to sign up for the service and it will provide parents and carers with peace of mind about the whereabouts of their children.”

A spokesperson said: "For residents in YORK; to give your consent to join Be Informed and be kept in the loop on incidents of anti-social behaviour in the York area, email your mobile phone number and the name of the area you live in to Beinformed@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk

"For residents in SELBY; consent to sign up for the service, please email your name, mobile phone number and which area you’d like to receive updates about to BeInformedSelby@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk and we’ll sign you up. The areas currently covered by the scheme are Barlby, Brayton, Eggborough, Selby Town, Sherburn and Tadcaster.

"Be informed is delivered through North Yorkshire Community Messenger. For further information on what we do with your personal data, please visit www.northyorkshirecommunitymessaging.org

"You may withdraw your consent to the service at any time by emailing Beinformed@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk and request to unsubscribe from the messaging service."