Residents in Smithswood (West Midlands Police) have been left without another police response vehicle after youths in the area smashed the windows of a police van.
It is understood that this is the second police response vehicle that youths have targeted in as many days.
The latest vehicle was targeted on Friday as police officers conducted a knife sweep in a local park to find and destroy any weapons that local gang members may have hidden.
Owing to the repairs needed, the vehicles were removed from service, meaning residents have been exposed to longer wait times when requesting police assistance.
A spokesperson for Smithswood WMP tweeted:
‘With another vehicle off the road, this takes us away from people who may need urgent care or assistance and increases our response times.’
Responding to the news, one person responded:
‘Soooooo frustrating especially as I know you were all proactively completing a knife sweep in a local park but I’m glad no one was hurt and don’t worry they will come again and we will find them.
‘Keep up the great work as always’.
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Upon conviction, lock up the nasty little gobshites. While they are inside, they will be unable to vandalise anything apart from their own accommodation and if they smash that up, they can live in the wreckage for the duration of the original sentence plus another one for criminal damage, which should be twice as long as the previous sentence.
They would be off the streets for a few years during which they can ponder the error of their ways. If they come out and do it again, they will be straight back in for twice as long again, a period measured in decades not year.