Date: 12/02/2008
Police and High Peak Borough Council have been working together to try to reduce graffiti and racism in Buxton.
During the last two months several complaints of offensive graffiti have been made to the police and council. The council has recorded these incidents, reported them to the police and removed the graffiti.
On 19 January a patrolling Police Community Support Officer discovered graffiti at the Pavilion Gardens car park in Buxton.
The walls, supporting posts, toilet door and surface of the car park had all been vandalised and daubed with racist remarks.
The police investigation led to a 16-year-old youth from Longnor receiving a final warning. He will have to appear at a police clinic for young offenders this month. Another 16-year-old boy from Knutsford was questioned by police and released without charge.
Sergeant Russ Barlow of Buxton police said: "We will not tolerate criminal damage, racism or other hate crime. This sort of behaviour is very offensive to visitors and local people who use the car parks and public areas around the town."
High Peak Borough Council has recently written to all senior school headteachers in Buxton to alert them to these incidents and to encourage any young people who witness similar incidents to report them to the police.
Councillor Andrew Bingham, High Peak Borough Council's Executive Member for Community and Social Development, said: "The Council is committed to ensuring good relations between all sections of the community and has a duty to record and monitor hate incidents. During the last two months we have received a number of reports and have recorded and dealt with three separate incidents. The most recent of which was 19 January 2008. The graffiti on that occasion was racist and homophobic in nature.
"We are aware that the car park is an area where young people congregate and our leisure services team have carried out activities in this area, in the past, with High Peak Community Arts to keep them occupied."
Anyone who witnesses any incidents of graffiti or other criminal damage should contact the police on 0845 123 33 33 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They can also contact High Peak Borough Council on 0845 129 77 77 or 01298 28400.