Police say they are investigating reports of youths damaging cars on the A500 in Willaston by throwing stones off a footbridge above.
One victim reported their car was badly damaged on Sunday night when three youths were spotted throwing stones off the bridge which spans the dual carriageway.
The victim, who posted anonymously, said: “They have put a big crack down my windscreen.
“The worst part was that it was my partner and my two-year-old in the car.”
A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: “Police received an report online regarding youths throwing stones from a bridge above the A500 in Willaston which had damaged a vehicle.
“The individual has been re-contacted to establish further details.”
It’s not the first reported incident of stone-throwing off that bridge.
One driver diverted off the A500 to pursue the youths and caught up with them before calling police.
The bridge connects Wybunbury Road to Newcastle Road spanning over the Shavington Bypass.
And in January 2022 police investigated a similar incident when a vehicle was damaged by a brick thrown from the same bridge.
In that incident, a brick hit a car causing it to crash on the road, injuring one person.
Old Bill. I don’t think the criticism is directed at police officers. Rather at the politics inside and outside the police that means their priorities don’t mesh with those of the public.
I believe the vast majority would rather see effective treatment of violence, sexual assault and robbery rather than perceived offence or drivers a few mph above the limit.
Resources are limited, of course, but can you honestly say the best use is being made of police time? I certainly don’t.
Whatever police connection you have, you surely can’t say their priorities (set by governments and committees) are supported by either the public or by officers themselves.
Get officers out of schools, fêtes, Facebook and PR exercises, and get them on the bridge
As a balance to some of the explicit criticism of policing, do the critics realise there’s a policing crisis? The attrition rate (officers leaving for reasons other than retirement or for health reasons) is rising year on year at historically unprecedented levels, and now more than 10% of all police officers have less than 12 months service, many of whom have already decided not to complete full service. The Metropolitan Police is appointing new recruits who are functionally illiterate and therefore cannot complete crime reports because they are unable to read or write.
By all means joke about speed traps, but not a penny of fixed penalties paid by speeders goes towards policing… it all goes to the Treasury. And no-one gets killed by “hurty words”.
It will require an additional 12,000 police officers in England & Wales just to return police/public ratios to 2010 levels, because of an 8% population increase, and that takes no account of the serious shortage of skilled detectives… forces are now vying to directly recruit trainee detectives who will never have the basic learning that comes from two years of probation as a uniformed constable, and even here the trend indicates problems, with attrition rates also extremely high because of unrealistic work levels and lack of training and supervision.
I bet if they were up there holding up a banner with something politically incorrect on it they would be locked up in no time. Welcome to Labours Britain.
Police aren’t fit for purpose
Unfortunately because the culprits would not generate any income for the authorities in the way of fines, the only time you would see a police presence there would be with a speed camera.
Often see groups of kids/young adults up here. Notorious drug dealing den . Reported to police but they do sod all about it.
Completely agree, zero parents need to take responsibility and those involved held to account
This needs slapping down hard. We’re used to police not turning up or just issuing crime numbers, but as well as any damage, this could be horrendously dangerous. If we can jail people for hurty words, then these little oiks need to learn a hard lesson.
Come on police; cameras, stakeouts, rewards…. whatever it takes. Pretend it’s a speed trap.