Drunken Idiots (From This is The West Country)

Drunken Idiots

9:21am Wednesday 12th April 2006

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POLICE in Chard have thrown down the gauntlet to the 'drunken idiots' who went on a window-smashing rampage over the weekend.

For the third week running, shop front windows were broken late at night, leading to more despair am-ong traders.

But there is good news on the horizon - thanks to the News' 'Keeping an Eye' on Chard campaign.

Yesterday (Tuesday), engineers constructed a pole for the town's first CCTV camera on the corner of Holyrood Street.

The camera, which will cover Holyrood Street, High Street, and Fore Street, is due to be positioned and hooked up to monitoring equipment in coming weeks and should be a powerful deterrent to would-be vandals.

Between 10pm and 2am on Friday night, windows were smashed at Harriman's, in Holyrood Street, HR Select Caf and Nationwide in Fore Street, and Dilly's Gift Shop in Howards Row.

Sgt Andy Kingston, of Chard police, said officers had mounted public order patrols at the weekend.

"It's window smashing for no other purpose than for drunken gratification.

"The people involved in perpetrating this case are drunken idiots and if they want to dispute that terminology with me, I openly invite them to come down to the police station and discuss the matter.

"CCTV is happening, and it's happening imminently - it will be the end of the road for the drunken idiots who smash windows on Friday and Saturday nights."

Dilly's Gift Shop has only been open for 10 days and this week owner Christine Godwin said: "It's heart-breaking. People don't think it's a crime against you but it is - it's your livelihood and it's like being burgled."

During the raids, a bust of a tiger was stolen from Dilly's and clothing was taken from Harriman's.

Chard town and district councillor Martin Wale, who is co-ordinating the CCTV campaign, said: "The pole is due in on Tuesday and the electrics should not be too far behind."

Sgt Kingston said CCTV organisers were examining the possibility of attaching additional cameras to buildings to keep costs down, and asked traders and property owners for their support.

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