Two 15-year-old boys have been charged in connection with a robbery in Devizes on Friday, January 13.

One of the boys was charged with public order and assault offences while the other was charged and remanded for breaching his bail conditions. After appearing in court he was released on conditional bail until January 24.

Insp Ben Huggins, the Devizes policing inspector, said: “We have seen an increase in youth related violence offences, and concerningly incidents where weapons are reported to have been involved.

“Whilst this is a rare occurrence in Devizes, it does show that a small number of individuals are showing a disregard for the law, and for the safety of others.

Insp Huggins urged parents to help the police tackle youth crime.

He added: “We will always respond swiftly and robustly to reports of this nature however this is not a problem that can be solved by police alone. We need the support of the community to make this problem go away.

"My plea to parents is ‘Do you know where your children are and what they are up to?’.

"Please ensure you continue to support us by educating your young people so that they understand the impact of such behaviour.”

A third boy was also arrested but was released without charge.