People living on an Oxford estate are demanding help from police because they claim they are being terrorised by local youths, write Andrew Ffrench and Madeleine Pennell.

People living in Risinghurst say the absence of community police officers has brought an upsurge in crime, with some residents afraid to leave their own homes.

And Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, has called for an increased police presence on the Cutteslowe estate in north Oxford after listening to residents' complaints.

Cllr Jock Coats, Liberal Democrat city councillor for Old Marston and Risinghurst, claimed some residents had become "prisoners in their own homes" and suggested police should attend a meeting with youth workers and parents to try to tackle the problem. Cllr Coats said: "In the past, there were two beat officers covering the area. One left and was never replaced and the other has been on leave in recent months.

"Gangs of youths have been causing trouble and some people are afraid to go out, particularly at night."

Cllr Coats said in recent months, youths had:

Tried to set fire to the shop in Downside Road;

Assaulted two teenage language students;

Thrown stones and apples at people's homes;

Urinated in the bus shelter.

Dee Sinclair, a voluntary worker for the estate's Monday night youth club, said: "The local councils fund three hours' a week youth work but that is not enough. We need more funding and more people to contribute. The lack of a beat officer definitely doesn't help." Meanwhile, Dr Harris called for a greater police presence in Cutteslowe.

He said: "Cutteslowe is not a problem estate and should not be thought of as one, but a more visible police presence there would make a huge difference in nipping problems in the bud before they have a chance to get more serious."

Dr Harris said Pc Jill Cross, who works on the estate, was doing an excellent job.

But he added: "She is heavily overworked and unless she receives some help the problems on her beat will only get worse."

Oxford police area commander, Supt David McWhirter, said Risinghurst had a "small minority" of anti-social people, but it was untrue that residents had become prisoners in their own homes. And he said Oxford remained one of the safest places in the country to live and work.

Supt McWhirter added: "A modern police force is simply not able to put excessive numbers of staff into relatively crime-free areas."