CANVEY’S top policeman has been giving the island’s worst teenage offenders a dressing-down in his office.

Chief Insp Paul Eveleigh said there was a gang of half a dozen 16 year-old boys behind most of the antisocial behaviour problems in the Winter Gardens area.

New figures from police show tough new curfew orders in the troubled Winter Gardens area have had dramatic success by cutting complaints by more than half.

Police introduced the dispersal order more than three weeks ago, after a surge in complaints about antisocial behaviour.

Yesterday, Chief Insp Eveleigh organised a face-to-face meeting with two of the boys and their parents and is planning similar get-togethers with the other four.

He said: “We know exactly who the troublemakers are.

“The idea of calling them and their parents in is to spell out the problems their bad behaviour is causing the community and try to steer them away from the bad paths they are going down.

“I’m also hoping to speak to all their parents. I want them to know if they break the curfew, we will crack down on them and they could be arrested.”

There were 76 reports of antisocial behaviour in the area over the two weeks leading up to November 19, when the special powers were introduced.

However, Mr Eveleigh said there were only 25 incidents of antisocial behaviour between November 19 and 25, nine over the following week and another nine over the past seven days.

He said: “It really is working. I was out and about myself in Winter Gardens last night and there wasn’t a peep. It was like a ghost town.

“My officers who are regularly out on patrol have been telling me the same thing.”

The dispersal order gives officers powers to break up groups of yobs hanging around after 9pm on Link Road, First Avenue, Church Parade, Somnes Avenue, Kings- down Walk and Lakeside Path.

Anyone under 16 found out after this time can also be escorted home and if they ignore these orders they can be arrested.

But some residents are still reporting problems.

On Monday, the Echo reported Anita Willoughby, 23, from Winter Gardens, was terrified for her son Leland, after a gang of yobs set fire to her front door as they both slept inside the flat.