Cannock Park to be given CCTV for fight against yobs

Police support officers and park wardens were given extra training last year in a bid to control yobs plaguing parks across Cannock Chase, including Cannock Park.

Taxpayers were also forced to foot a £2,000 bill after a set of gates at the park was damaged in December. A woman found herself locked in the car park after closing time and a couple of men released her car by lifting the gates off the hinges and throwing them to the ground.

Now plans to install CCTV at the park have been put forward by Cannock Chase Council's environmental team as part of a district-wide bid to better support park staff and the police.

District councillor Maureen Freeman, aged 68, was subjected to a campaign of harassment after she attempted to rid the park of gangs of yobs.

Former police officer Miss Freeman said today: "The CCTV is to assist the park keepers so they can be protected by people causing damage.

"Hopefully they will also provide the police with the necessary evidence if there is any continued vandalism.

"These are public facilities, we've just had the tennis courts repainted. There is no way I am going to allow people to come to our park and destroy our equipment and facilities.

"That park is used by so many people, including families and football teams, and people shouldn't have to go through this because of a few yobs who can't behave and treat the equipment with respect.

"It's only because action has been taken that things are starting to improve down there.

"All in all, there's been an awful lot of damage done to this park – and it's a free facility paid for with taxpayers money."

No cost has yet been calculated for the cameras and a date when a decision will be made on them has not been set.

On one occasion, when Miss Freeman had gone to the park with a fellow councillor to identify trouble hotspots, they were verbally abused by a group of up to 15 youths. Miss Freeman was also followed by 19-year-old Harry Batista-Crespo, who harrassed Miss Freeman outside her Park Road home calling her "an informer" and "a snitch."

In October last year he was found guilty of harassment and given a 12-month restraining order, banning him from contacting Councillor Freeman, and ordered to pay a total of £820 in costs and fines.

Drinking alcohol in the park was banned last November by Cannock Chase Council and the police as part of the crackdown on anti-social behaviour.