IT was a beautiful spring weekend and York was looking near her best. The many tourists who flocked here should have taken away treasured memories of Minster and museums, Shambles and shops.

But for the unlucky passengers on a boat trip along the Ouse, all those highlights were obliterated by the revolting moment when children spat on them from the Millennium Bridge.

Fast forward to Monday. Shoppers in Spurriergate were horrified to see three "drunken thugs" kicking around a pigeon like a football. It was eventually rescued by two American tourists.

These two incidents are unpleasant enough on their own. But they are part of an increasing trend of anti-social behaviour which is coarsening society.

Drug users meet their dealers on street corners in daylight. Aggressive beggars intimidate people into giving. Yobs shout abuse at passers-by. Community centres and school playgrounds are vandalised. The streets are treated as an open-air litter bin.

No wonder some older people are fearful of leaving their homes.

What can be done about it? In the case of the juvenile offenders, it is up to the parents to impose some discipline on their children; although this often seems a forlorn hope.

The next tier of responsibility belongs to the police. Intelligent-led detective work is effective against the drug barons and major offenders. But the best way to deter anti-social behaviour is a visible, uniformed police presence.

Chief Constable Della Cannings has promised more beat patrols. We need to see officers now, paying regular visits to the Millennium Bridge, which seems to attract unruly elements, and making frequent tours of the city centre. The police should also respond positively to the call last week by a York boating group for improved riverbank security.

Home Secretary David Blunkett recently proposed new penalties to crackdown on what he called "yobbishness". These include fixed fines and fast-track punishments. We hope they prove more effective than his parenting orders, introduced to tackle bad behaviour in schools. As we report tonight, these have barely been used.

Updated: 10:56 Wednesday, April 02, 2003