CCTV camera installation at a scene of anti-social behaviour in a county village is now one step closer.
Kempsey Parish Council voted to install camera at Plovers Rise playing field next to Kempsey Youth Centre.
At a council meeting in January 2020, an item discussed was vandalism at the youth club, which included damage to a pane of laminated glass and at the beginning of this year we reported on damage to a protective covering on a life-saving defibrillator and smashing up a make-shift skate ramp created by a doting father for his kid.
Cllr Martin Allen, who is a district councillor for Upton, as well as a parish councillor for Kempsey, said: “Following the damage to the Defibrillator and the many reports of vandalism I am extremely pleased to see that Kempsey Parish Council have taken up my call to have CCTV installed.
"My preferred options would have been for fencing to be erected at the rear of the youth centre and anti-climb paint to have also been included along with the CCTV.
"As someone who has run a security company since 1995, I understand the need to have layers of protection and not just to rely on one thing.
I have persuaded the council to write to the Police and the Crime Commissioner asking for action and for the local inspector to come and give an explanation about what they intend to do to combat this problem.
"Recently in Kempsey there have been over 15 reported of anti-social behaviour and like so many I am beginning to wonder what the police are going to finally do about this."
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West Mercia Police said instances of anti-social behaviour need to be reported for “intelligence-led policing”.
PC Ellis from Malvern SNT said: “We encourage all members of the public to report instances of anti-social behaviour so we can built up a pattern.
“A defibrillator is a piece of life saving kit and it’s just not on."
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