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Then he snapped
8:38am Monday 7th July 2008
Comments (12)
TWO hours after a gang of yobs started throwing stones at his windows, Sydney Davis got so fed up he chased them away with a lump of wood.
At that precise moment the police arrived outside his home in Magnolia Court, Pinehurst West, and arrested him.
Mr Davis' wife Pauline had called the police earlier to deal with the young troublemakers, but he was shocked to find he was the one put in the cells on Wednesday night.
"They were throwing stones at my house and my windows. There were about 10 of them.
"I chased them down the road with a big stick. As a result I was arrested, but they didn't arrest any of them.
"This is an on-going thing. They are there every night of the week.
"I have seen cars being damaged and windows being put through.
"The police are doing nothing. In the last eight months our windows have been smashed five times.
"There is a dispersal order, but when these kids see the police they are off through the alleyways. The police have got no chance of catching them.
"My wife called the police at 6 o'clock.
"They just kept on throwing stones through my back gate.
"I left the back door open to stop them smashing it. I have two kids and if one of those stones hit them it could have caused some really nasty damage.
"Suddenly a really big rock came crashing into the kitchen.
"I just grabbed the stick, which was the nearest thing I could find, and chased them off.
"The police turned up just as I was chasing them."
Retired Mr Davis said Pinehurst West was under constant attack from gangs of unruly teenagers and he feared for the safety of his sons Peter John and Jimmy Lloyd.
"One of my neighbours had a seven-month-old baby in their kitchen, when a brick came through the window," he said.
"It showered glass across the baby's face.
"Something needs to be done to stop these kids. They are out there almost every night."
Police patrols were stepped up in Pinehurst after two houses were torched in Beech Avenue, as part of a spate of crime in January.
Officers' shift patterns were changed so they would be in the neighbourhood at the times when the most trouble was occurring.
The neighbourhood policing team was also looking into working with the council to close off some of the alleyways in a bid to prevent crime and disorder.
Swindon police confirmed that Mr Davis was charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a public place but no juveniles were arrested during in relation to the incident.
Your Say YourThe Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
Desparate Dan, Wiltshire says...
11:39am Mon 7 Jul 08
carolinebakerbaldric
k, stockley says...
12:37pm Mon 7 Jul 08
formerdriver, Swindon says...
1:19pm Mon 7 Jul 08
shed, vale of pewsey says...
1:59pm Mon 7 Jul 08
complete bunch of t*ssers only interested in keeping their heads down, or nicking motorists.
Grant, Marlborough says...
2:16pm Mon 7 Jul 08
There is no point in calling the police in wiltshire anymore.
Deal with it yourself and let someone else call the police for you.
You will get let off in the courts so you've nothing to lose.
who dat?, says...
8:38pm Mon 7 Jul 08
Let me guess, 8am- 4pm shuffling reports was changed to 9am - 5pm shuffling reports!!
With the frequent visit to am awards ceremony thrown in - seems to me the local plod get more awards these days than arrests!
who dat?, says...
8:41pm Mon 7 Jul 08
There is the answer then - ring plod and tell 'em the local council jobsworth's car is being sprinkled with dust rather than that you are under siege from brick hurling little darlings !
PLOD wil be round in minutes!
blokesands, Devizes says...
8:47pm Mon 7 Jul 08
They yearn to be engaging with the public and would much rather be tackling the crime which is affecting us all. Instead they are sorting out petty neighbourhood disputes about broken flowerpots etc. How demoralising is that? All that training in the use of pepper spray, policing powers and wearing stab vests etc to be a social workers!
Sort your own backyard out, before having a pop at the police. And before you think I am a copper, I am not! Have some respect for them, and ask yourself would you put your life on the line when dealing with the flotsam and jetsam of today's life who so readily use knives and worse! 2 murders in Devizes in less than a year says it all!
And believe it or not, the police cannot be everywhere all of the time. They rely on decent members of the public to be vigilant and report offenders, and for parents to be responsible for their children's out of school behaviour.
It is not just the police who should tackle crime, we all have a role to ly in countering this upsurge in criminality and hooliganism.
formerdriver, Swindon says...
10:02pm Mon 7 Jul 08
blokesands wrote:funny then that a certain area in Devizes now has half hourly patrols by the police AFTER its most notorious resident has been taken off the streets for good. too little too late if you ask me!
Its NOT the police's fault; they are being misemployed by their political masters. There have never been so many police in the force as there are now, but they are being kept off the streets by having to conduct non-policing duties and far too much paperwork in the crime free police station! They yearn to be engaging with the public and would much rather be tackling the crime which is affecting us all. Instead they are sorting out petty neighbourhood disputes about broken flowerpots etc. How demoralising is that? All that training in the use of pepper spray, policing powers and wearing stab vests etc to be a social workers! Sort your own backyard out, before having a pop at the police. And before you think I am a copper, I am not! Have some respect for them, and ask yourself would you put your life on the line when dealing with the flotsam and jetsam of today's life who so readily use knives and worse! 2 murders in Devizes in less than a year says it all! And believe it or not, the police cannot be everywhere all of the time. They rely on decent members of the public to be vigilant and report offenders, and for parents to be responsible for their children's out of school behaviour. It is not just the police who should tackle crime, we all have a role to ly in countering this upsurge in criminality and hooliganism.
donteventhinkit, Corsham says...
11:13pm Mon 7 Jul 08
worz, Wootton Bassett says...
11:22am Tue 8 Jul 08
They rely on decent members of the public to be vigilant and report offenders
What's the point if it takes the police two hours to turn up?
Pinehurst resident Sydney Davis who was arrested after chasing youths with a piece of wood
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donteventhinkit, Corsham says...
8:57am Mon 7 Jul 08
What a shock no brats arrested and there mums likely hate you for daring chase there kiddies away and wont punish them for there behavior either. No wonder this countrys gone to pot protect the guilty punish the innocent. My kids would have been punished and sent round to apoligies clear stoned from the yard and wash the windows but hey i guess im just old fashioned or maybe its because i dont spend every waking moment either watching tv or in the pub.