'This will not be tolerated' Police hunt teenagers after Leighton Buzzard vicarage doors 'kicked in'
All Saints vicarage has once again come under attack from vandals – with its doors ‘kicked in’ overnight.
Police say they are reviewing CCTV footage after being called to the vicarage shortly after 7.15am this morning (Monday).
A spokesperson said: “Three teenagers are believed to have started kicking the front door to the property in the early hours of the morning. One of the teens was wearing a blue tracksuit with a white stripe, while another was wearing a grey tracksuit.
"Anyone who has information or doorbell footage from the area at that time is asked to report online or call 101 quoting reference 063 of 18 May.”
It comes after vicar the Reverend Prebendary David MacGeoch told a meeting that he was living in fear after a spate of attacks.
Speaking to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Leighton-Linslade partnership committee in March, he said youngsters had been throwing eggs and bottles at the vicarage – and at him and his wife.
The side gate to Pulford Road was also kicked ‘at least a dozen times’, while the front doors of cottages opposite the vicarage were broken. Meanwhile, he said youngsters had tried to set fire to Leighton Middle School and vandalised Pulford Lower School.
He added: “The abuse is horrendous. I live as a frightened priest and I think that’s totally wrong. It’s a community problem and tends to peak during holidays.
“I’ve heard about what police are doing to support young people, but very little is being said about what’s being done for victims.”
Councillors claimed that because the offenders were ‘often underage’, they were getting away with a ‘slap on the wrist’.
The Leighton Buzzard community policing team says it’s committed to tackling the issue.
Sergeant Amy Rankin from the Leighton Buzzard Community Team said: “As community officers, we are committed to problem-solving and set our priorities based on the intelligence and concerns reported to us by our residents. The issues with anti-social behaviour and vandalism at All Saints Church and the surrounding area is something we are aware of, we make regular visits to the church to engage on these matters and conduct daily patrols throughout the town centre in order to build up our intelligence picture.
“This particular matter has seen us speak with parents of a number of young people about their behaviour, and we are conducting ongoing enquiries in relation to instances of criminal damage reported.
“We would encourage all Leighton Buzzard residents, workers and businesses to submit reports to us of any suspicious activity to build our intelligence picture and inform our future prevention and investigation activity.
“I would send a message to people who think it is ok to vandalise and damage property that doesn’t belong to them: We are committed to identifying those responsible and to preventing anti-social behaviour from occurring. This is not a victimless crime. Your behaviour can impact others, causing them the inconvenience and cost of repairs. However, more importantly, it can feel violating and intimidating for victims and will not be tolerated.”
The Diocese of St Albans has been approached for comment.