Sgt Gleeson said police were busy again on Saturday night dealing with incidents where alcohol and drugs had “escalated minor issues”.

“The general attitude is putrid,” she said.

“Eighteen is the legal age limit for a reason.

“They know the law, they’ll tell you the law when you’re out on the street, but clearly they do not understand it.”

Sergeant Janet Gleeson

Sgt Gleeson said police dealt with a spate of incidents involving drunken teenagers on Saturday night.

She said the issue had become ongoing and had escalated in recent weeks.

Police issued more than 20 local laws infringement notices for public misdemeanours and under-age drinking-related incidents last weekendSgt Gleeson said there was a common misconception among Colac teenagers that it was acceptable to possess and consume alcohol and behave poorly.

“Clearly we would like for parents to reiterate the law and remind their kids of their responsibilities and just to have some respect,” she said.

“We only enforce the law, we don’t create the rules, they probably think we’re targeting them in a sense but we’re actually trying to protect them.”

Sgt Gleeson encouraged people to continue to report anti-social behaviour and parents to be aware of their children’s conduct and social activities.[poll id=”5″]