From accounts at both FDC full council meeting earlier this week, Cllr Steve Tierney highlighted several ongoing issues about anti-social behaviour – especially targeting businesses.
Town councillors are calling for the police to step up to tackle crime in Wisbech which they say is causing businesses to lose trade due to youngsters’ behaviour.
At the meeting of Wisbech Town Council on Monday, councillors addressed the issues businesses and residents are having and are urging police to act swiftly.
Cllr Steve Tierney said there is a problem in the town with a new bike gang – “like we have seen in the past” –which is problematic and has been running a campaign of intimidation and vandalism in the marketplace and surrounding areas
A few businesses are being particularly targeted with some attacks seeming to be racially motivated and others not, he explained.
“One particular shop at the weekend had its entire front barricaded off. They dragged metal barricades from the other end of the market where they were tied up, untied them, and dragged them down so people could not get in and out, making it a very difficult job to remove them as they are heavy.
“They have set fire to another shop, smashed the shop up while customers have been in there. They have walked in and intimidated and abused staff and customers.
“The same group went to The Rose and Crown Hotel, threw bricks and eggs at the hotel, ran into the hotel and screamed at people waiting to book a room. All of this is on CCTV which has been given to the police.”
Cllr Tierney said so far the police have not done a lot: “They have attended a couple of times, but I would like to see a much stronger response.
“This is happening almost every night now, a member of the public said the same gang ran a scooter into a child, she was knocked over but was unharmed luckily, just a bit shaken up.”
He believes it is a gang of 12 to 13-year-olds with a few older boys who seem to be the ring leaders.
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