Through a series of town hall meetings, Ottawa police are warning parents and teens they will take a zero tolerance approach to dealing with illegal end-of-school year activities.

"We don't want to see parents renting hotel rooms for kids who are graduating from high school and leaving them unsupervised," Louise Logue of the Ottawa police told a group of parents Thursday night.

Police have already laid three charges against youth in the city's west end, for graffiti and liquor offences.

Warnings meant to help your kids

Ottawa's police chief says the warnings are meant to help parents prevent their kids from making bad choices.

According to the police chief, there are currently about 4,000 youth at risk in the Capital.

"My target will be that we have less young people next year involved with the police as a victim or offender than last year. Not bigger than that; not more youth arrested; not more youth helped; but less involved with the police as a victim or offender," Vern White told CTV Ottawa.

"If we could do that every year and hit that target every year then we would have a safer community."

To reach that target, police say they need parents to help keep watch over their children.

Teen drug use a growing problem

Ottawa police also gave parents stern advice about teen drug use and its warning signs, as police say more teens than ever are using marijuana and cocaine.

Those signs include:

  • Failing grades;
  • Being overtired;
  • Hanging out with crowds they don't want to talk about.

19 gangs in the Capital

Parents attending Thursday night's meeting were also advised about the growing number of gangs in the Capital.

Police say there are about 500 gang members who belong to as many as 19 gangs in Ottawa, including the Bloods and the Crypts.

Police say there's now something new to look for when it comes to identifying gang members.

"The Juggalos and Juggalets, believe it or not, will paint their faces up like clowns and have a tattoo of what they call the hatchet man - a picture of an individual with spiked hair, running with hatchet," Staff Sgt. Mike Callaghan told the group of parents gathered at the meeting.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins