Just an £80 fine for smashing shop windows

16/08/2009 by Steve Barclay.

Just an £80 fine for smashing shop windows- what happened to Labour’s promise to be tough on crime?

Saturday morning starts with a site visit to Delph ward in Whittlesey with Cllr Kay Mayor, Dee Laws, and Richard Gale regarding the recent flooding to local homes. 

The immediate issue is a defective drainage pipe (Anglia Water’s responsibility) and clearing the ditch this pipe connects to - as the photos show it is barely 2 ft deep and overgrown (suspect the land owner will have to pay for this work). Will liaise with Fenland DC engineers on who will get the ditch cleared and what the timescales will be.  There is also a longer term issue about house building on flood plains with another 500 new homes planned for North Whittlesey.  Chatting with Kay and Dee, it is clear there are a lot of different bodies involved and a lack of clarity over where the responsibility of each one starts and ends.  As wells as Anglia Water and FDC, other bodies involved include the RSPB, Environment Agency, North Level Drainage Board, Washland Commissioners, Whittlesey Town Council and Whittlesey Charities.  Agree to set up a meeting at Whittlesey Town Hall with all the stakeholders to try and bring more clarity to ownership of issues before any future flooding occurs.

Then visit Doddington Scouts who are doing a big clear out, before following up again at March boutique Star Dust with owner Lisa over a planning issue concerning her front door and the vandalism/ police response to her smashed windows.  Despite catching the offenders on CCTV and the police being nearby to make an arrest, the offender has received just an £80 fine.  This is far less than the cost of repairing the window -calling a firm out to board up the window alone costs £300 never mind repairing the glass.  New Labour’s promise to be ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ does not apply in North Cambridgeshire.  We need to support small independent shop keepers who bring variety and character to our High Streets.  A welcome first step would be making it clear than any vandalism of their premises will be taken seriously and punished.  An £80 fine is just not good enough. Don’t however let the vandals put you off what is a fantastic boutique shop.  Star Dust is very much open for business and has a new Autumn range.  Pay it a visit when you are in March - it is a great place to shop. 

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