I couldn't help but notice in last week's publication the stepping up in police patrols around the Wharf area to prevent skateboarding. Trivial this may seem on first glance, but I feel it touches on a much deeper issue.
Firstly, I would like to comment that skateboarding is not a crime. How can we treat a sport as if it can be brushed under the carpet. Surely the skateboard represents an alternative form of transport like the 'innocent' bicycle. To what extent can it be justified to say that skateboarders in Tavistock have an alternative place to practice their skills?
Can you seriously tell me that all of the skaters are supposed to be 'kept under control' in a ramp or not skate at all? I fear that the police and statesmen of Tavistock fail to realise that the essence of skateboarding is that of freedom and self-expression, much on a par with cycling and even the humble car.
Secondly, it saddens me to notice that so many people attach skateboarding with the stigma of misguided and troublesome youth.
I ask you people of Tavistock what would you rather have? a) A grind on a kerb or b) Intimidation and violence on a cosy weekend night.
To conclude, with all of the other crimes mentioned in Police Desk, skateboarding clearly represents the biggest social problem. As I mentioned earlier, this issue appears trivial, but, surely the stance taken in Tavistock against youth culture has gone too far.
The increase in police patrols could surely concentrate on those whose idea of freedom and expression has a much darker side. I feel that we can all sleep safer in the knowledge that despite the rising crime rate and plummeting resources, the Wharf shall be protected from the arch-villains and dangerous criminal element who threaten society as we know it.
Sam Christopher (former
Tavistock resident)
Exmouth