MORE of Callington is set to be covered by CCTV as the town council has given the green light to the purchase of equipment in response to numerous acts of 'mindless vandalism'.

Parts of the town are already covered by CCTV cameras and have proven their worth in identifying people engaging in criminal activity, but with a recent increase in vandalism around the town, councillors have agreed to fund more CCTV so more of the town is covered.

Recently, there has been a spate of vandalism acts, including someone putting super glue in the locks on the bus shelter, arson in the public toilets on New Road, owners letting their dogs foul in the pannier market and a number of incidents of graffiti.

One such incident occurred in the Tamar Close Park after all the fences and benches had been newly repainted to cover over old graffiti. Not long after, council staff spotted fresh graffiti that read: 'Dear owner of this park, even if you paint it, I'll still draw on it.'

Town clerk Helen Dowdall said: 'The staff have been called to work with the police on these issues and the existing CCTV is proving a valuable source to catch criminals. These little acts of mindless vandalism dishearten the staff — as soon as we try to make something look nice, someone comes along and ruins it for everyone else. We want people to know that we won't put up with it.

'Councillors have agreed to spend more on CCTV so more of the town is covered because the acts of mindless individuals will not be tolerated.'

PCSO for Callington town Clare Danson was pleased with the decision. She said: 'It is always a good thing to have areas covered with CCTV, especially if it is a system that is monitored — we find it very helpful.

'It is not so much a preventative measure but it has shown to help with crime reduction. It is certainly helpful in areas such as the bus shelter where vandalism tends to take place and people who use the shelter can sometimes feel intimidated.'

A quote for the CCTV installation has been approved and the council is now making contact with the contractors to have the work added to the work schedule.

The town council was keen to stress that although the CCTV is funded by the council, any crimes or incidents should be reported to the respective authority, such as the police or Cornwall Council, and any evidence that the council has from the CCTV will be passed on to the relevant authority.