To curb rising youth violence, city leaders in Fayetteville, North Carolina, are implementing a new citywide curfew for minors.

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin told Fox News Digital that the city recorded nearly 2,000 incidents of interaction or arrest involving minors over about a 16-month period.

“We looked at the last couple of quarters of the previous year, and then the first two quarters of this year, and it was almost 1,900 incidents of arrest or crimes that had been committed by juveniles. And so… we know we have a problem there, and we want to make sure that we’re proactive to deal with it,” Colvin said.

With the new ordinance, kids under 16 are prohibited from being in any public space between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., with some exceptions, including those who are accompanied by parents or guardians or another authorized adult escort, running direct-route errands, traveling to and from work, responding to emergencies, attending supervised activities such as sports or school events, and participating in religious services.

Fayetteville is home to Fort Bragg, known briefly as Fort Liberty, the largest U.S. Army base by population. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

A new chief will join the Fayetteville Police Department next week, and Colvin expects the department head to help implement the new ordinance.

“I’m certain that they will make sure that they are presenting a professional response to it. They’re training their officers as to the terms and conditions of what their role will be. They’re setting up the partnerships that are necessary because the city can’t do this alone. We’ll need social service, we’ll need juvenile justice, and we need the other governmental units that have a role in this space. This is an ecosystem. That we all have to work in to create a safer, better environment for our young people.”