AN ?EPIDEMIC? of vandalism has sparked outrage in a West Devon village ? and prompted calls for a greater police presence. Cllr Michael Endean, chairman of Bere Ferrers Parish Council, said vandalism caused by ?mindless individuals? had cost ratepayers more than £16,000 this year. In the latest attack, a Wendy House in Bere Alston children?s play park was set alight, destroying most of the woodwork. The youth shelter was damaged beyond repair earlier this summer, the flag standard has been bent over and the old rugby pavilion has had its door smashed in four times. Cllr Endean said: ?The acts seem to be part of an epidemic within the parish. This cannot continue. The parish council calls on the parents of the idiots who carry out this vandalism to act to put a stop to it, and on those who have witnessed the perpetrators bragging about the damage caused to stand up and be counted.? He urged witnesses to tell police and sign a witness statement if they saw acts of criminal damage. The parish council has condemned the response of police to the incident as ?lacklustre? and is concerned at the lack of police presence in the village. In the October edition of the parish magazine, parish council vice-chairman Bev Slaughter said the council was also concerned about noise disturbance caused by ?a bunch of youths and their cars? behind the parish hall. He said residents of The Down have also complained about foul language from youths in the park. ?Our beat manager has been on holiday and also seconded to other areas and has not been on duty in the village as much as the council expects. The council has sent a very strong letter about the lack of police presence in the parish to the Chief Constable ? to date a satisfactory reply to the problem has not been received,? said Cllr Slaughter. Neighbourhood beat manager PC Rick Hartigan confirmed the increase in vandalism in Bere Alston recently. He said there had also been numerous reports concerning youths and speeding vehicles and cars being driven dangerously in parking areas. He said: ?Meetings are being held with the parish council and West Devon Community Safety Partnership to suggest ways to improve the situation.? PC Hartigan said police were concerned that although people were willing to report incidents, they were sometimes reluctant to provide witness statements in order to start a court process. ?We can only police a given area with public assistance, especially in rural areas. We are unable to reduce criminal activities without the community?s help. If anyone has information or witnesses a crime, please come forward and be prepared to be a witness against the criminal element,? he said. Sgt Richard Nettleship, West Devon neighbourhood team leader, confirmed that PC Hartigan had been taken off duties in Bere Alston on occasion. Sgt Nettleship said: ?Unfortunately, that is the nature of policing in sparsely populated areas, but we do try to backfill ? recently our police community support officer has been spending time in Bere Alston.? Sgt Nettleship said police and the council met recently in their efforts to combat problems arising in Bere Alston. He said PC Hartigan would be working in plain clothes as well as in uniform and during targetted hours in an attempt to address vandalism in the village. ?We do urge people to use 999 if they see a crime actually being committed,? he added.
