Totnes Liberal Democrat calls for measures to control vandalism

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 23rd Jun 2003

The recent spate of vandalism and last weekend's suspected arson at a furniture warehouse in Kingsbridge have led to calls for action by Totnes Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, Mike Treleaven. Commenting on recent incidents he said:

' Last weekend in Kingsbridge we had public conveniences vandalised and this weekend we have had a major fire causing upwards of £100,000 of damage at a local furniture warehouse, which the authorities suspect is due to arson. Every weekend we seem to get these problems from a few individuals who seem hell bent on causing havoc and destruction. The incidents seem to be increasing in seriousness and it is surely time for more positive action.'

He continued:

' The whole community has a responsibility to help by reporting suspicious incidents and, in the case of youngsters, parents must take a more active role in ensuring their children behave. The actions of a few are spoiling the reputation of the vast majority of young people in the area who contribute a great deal to our way of life. We all know that police resources are stretched but it does seem to me that they should be much more active in the town centres between the hours of 11.00p.m and 3.00a.m on Friday and Saturday nights when we know most of the problems occur. Resources are not helped by the ridiculous situation that means police officers have to take every arrested suspect to Torquay. We need to change the mind set of people so that they know that if they step out of line they will be caught. I hope to meet with local police chiefs soon to discuss these issues and hear their views.'