Seven adults and one licensee have been charged after being caught supplying under-18s with alcohol.

The drink, including cider, beer, alcopops, fortified wine and spirits, were confiscated during Operation Dry Up, a Tayside Police operation cracking down on under age drinking and the anti-social behaviour associated with it.

Police have credited the high profile operation with a 21% fall in the number of incidents of vandalism and a 15% drop in the number of calls to police regarding youths causing annoyance.

Tayside Police received extra funding from the Dundee Partnership in January to help pay for additional uniformed patrols in the city where under-age drinking has been a known problem.

Operation Dry Up has also seen the police work closely with partner agencies, the local licensed trade and community wardens to combat the problem.

Although funding has now ended, its success has convinced police to continue targeting under-age drinkers at weekends.

Chief superintendent Colin McCashey, divisional commander for Dundee, said, “Our policy through Operation Dry Up has been to focus our efforts on the places where they are needed most and at the times when they are needed most.

“Our attentions have been on youths who gather at identified problem areas during the early evenings of Friday and Saturday and as a result we have been able to reduce alcohol consumption and the fall-out from that.”

Mr McCashey said that licensees had played an important role in preventing under-18s getting their hands on alcohol, although one licensee has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal after failing a test purchase.

“Officers have visited a large number of licensees to ensure that all staff are aware of the issues surrounding under-age drinking and the implications of providing alcohol to under-18s,” he said.

“They have worked closely with us and have reported concerns and suspicions to us when — for example — they were concerned youngsters were targeting their customers trying to get them to buy alcohol for them.

“As well as taking robust action against those committing offences, our officers have heard at first hand from residents that their presence is providing reassurance and reducing the overall fear of crime.”

Between January 4 and April 2006, police took the names of 545 youths involved in criminal or anti- social behaviour, or who were found in circumstances that gave officers cause to be concerned or suspicious.

Forty-one warnings were issued to youths and six youths were referred to the Children’s Panel. Officers also issued four fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour and seven adults were charged for buying alcohol for minors.

Mr McCashey said too many parents were failing to warn their children about the dangers of alcohol.

He said, “By ignoring the issue, parents could face an unwanted trip to the police station or the accident and emergency department, or even the mortuary. It’s time for the grown-ups to take responsibility.”