VANDALISM to vehicles in Cardenden has run into thousands of pounds but police have this week reported success in their inquiries.

Vandalism is a priority issue which affects local communities on a daily basis, but the victims don’t just suffer financially. Residents and businesses, whose properties are wilfully damaged, often find the experience extremely distressing.

As part of the highly successful Operation Crack-It-2 initiative, Cowdenbeath Community Team Officers have continued to tackle vandalism and related anti-social behaviour utilising a targeted response to these crimes.

As such each Community Officer, on a daily basis, identifies localised vandalisms and related crimes within their beat areas and carry out enquiries in the local area consisting of proactively re-visiting all members of the community affected by these crimes and carrying out door to door enquiries, as well as visiting local schools and youth clubs to drive home the message that vandalism is not a victimless crime.

The Cowdenbeath Community Team continues to focus is on detecting crimes of vandalism reported to police. They also provide a highly visible police presence in areas where crimes of vandalism and Anti-Social Behaviour are a particular problem.

Between the 20th and 22nd March, a number of cars, (eight reported to police at this time), in the area of Station Road, Denfield Avenue and the car park at Cardenden Railway Station, were damaged, whereby the paintwork of the vehicles were all scratched with what appears to have been a sharp implement. PC’s Keith and McDiarmid, the local Cardenden Community Officers, carried out enquiries in the local area and as a result of these two local young boys from the Cardenden area were traced. The damage/repair values run into the thousands of pounds. The two boys have been charged with the offences and will be subject of action from the local Youth Offender Management Group.

Inspector Ken Chatham, the Cowdenbeath Community Inspector, said, “Some reports of vandalism may not seem particularly serious but in every case there is a victim.

“When you look at vandalism as a whole, the picture is one where this crime affects local quality of life and there is a significant cost to individuals, businesses and public services. The work carried out to trace the two individuals by PC’s Keith and McDiarmid has been extensive and required many hours of re-visiting those affected, the associated door to door enquiries and generally speaking to our local communities to glean as much information as possible to quickly identify them. Information from members of the public is vital in helping us solve these types of crime.” Inspector Chatham further said, “We want to make sure that we create safer communities and Keep People Safe within our communities.

“Our main priority in these cases is tracing those responsible as quickly as possible and to prevent further vandalisms. The answer to these types of crimes are in the community and if anyone has information I would ask them to make contact with us. How would you feel if it was your property.” You can contact Police Scotland at 101 or www.scotland.police.uk. However you can also contact your local Community Team.