Dear Editor,
As an Algarve resident of more than 30 years in the Albufeira area, I have noticed a disturbing increase in the amount of youngsters taking to the streets to drink alcoholic beverages.
Although many of these teenagers seem to be of drinking age, many are also not.
From my apartment, every evening I see gangs of youths passing around bottles of cheap wine, beer or some kind of unknown branded liqueur amongst themselves.
Within a few hours, the close groups go from chatting and laughing with each other to causing havoc on the streets, shouting verbal abuse to not only tourists but also local people, something they think is funny. The disturbance is often so loud that I am woken up at early hours in the morning.
I have teenage grandchildren myself and understand the lifestyle of today’s average teenager is very different to that of my generation, but I cannot help but think that this situation is spiralling out of control. It is definitely not acceptable, civil behaviour.
For as long as I have lived in the area, I have frequently witnessed youths drinking in bars with friends, however now they all seem to have taken to the streets – perhaps this is a knock-on effect of the current crisis, and these youths are now seeking for different ways to get a cheap thrill.
I have to ask, where are the parents of these kids?
Derek Whitecomb
By email
