Gwent Police are appealing for information after three of their emergency response vehicles were vandalised in Bettws in the space of just eight days.
The first criminal damage occurred at around 3.15 pm on Tuesday 30th June when a marked response car was damaged after a rock was reportedly thrown at it.
The second incident occurred between 8.15 pm and 9.30 pm on Wednesday, 8th July.
Two marked response cars were damaged after rocks were reportedly thrown at the vehicles.
No police officers were injured in the incidents.
Each vehicle had to be taken out of service following the incidents meaning that anyone in the area who might require life-saving police assistance could experience an extended delay in officers responding to their call for help.
The cost of repairing the police cars will be picked up by local taxpayers.
Sergeant Phil Welti, of the Newport west neighbourhood policing team, said:
“This type of anti-social behaviour has huge ramifications for Gwent Police and our communities. These mindless acts of vandalism mean that three of our cars, all of which are response vehicles, are out of action.
“Our capacity to respond to emergency calls in Newport and the surrounding force area is diminished, until these vehicles are deemed roadworthy and safe to be used again by our officers.
“Away from the impact on our ability to respond to crime, these vehicles will need to be repaired, and this will have a wider impact on resourcing.
“Our officers will be on patrol in the Bettws area as they have received further reports of anti-social behaviour occurring.
“We are now in the process of making enquiries to trace the offenders and are reviewing CCTV in the area.”
Anyone with information about this incident or has CCTV or dashcam footage is asked to contact Gwent Police on 101, quoting log references 2000231266 or 2000242165.
You can also contact the force via social media on Facebook and Twitter, and you can report any information anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
If you have a story you want to tell, or video you want to share, send it to Emergency Services News via contact@emergency-services.news
Can you help Emergency Services News?
We when set our website up in November 2018, we had a straightforward mission: to bring our readers factual stories, which are free from negative bias but which are enriched with qualified experience.
Each member of our in-house team of writers has served in either the armed forces, emergency services or NHS.
This means that we can bring our readers not only the stories which matter but also stories without the negative spin.
But we cannot do this without your help. As ad revenue – the staple income of most publishers – continues to fluctuate, then we need the help of our supporters and readers more than ever.
Become a donor: You can make a one-off or reoccurring donation via Paypal. CLICK HERE to become a donor
We would like to thank you in advance for your continued support.
WATCH:
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of our readers.
And remember, if you have a service, product or job vacancy that you would like to promote to our large readership, then you can buy advertising space in our articles.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
Comments 1