Vandals
Forced to Clean their Graffiti from Church
Shamed teenagers made to pay for spray-painting sins
Swindon Advertiser
20th February 2007 Front page and Page 5
www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk
By Gareth Bethell - Crime Reporter
Email:  gbethell@newswilts.co.uk
THREE teenagers who vandalised church property have been made
to clean it up under the full gaze of shoppers.
THREE teenagers who vandalised a church have been made
to clean it up under the full gaze of shoppers.
Officers set the youths to work with buckets of soapy
water after the three of them sprayed paints over parts
of St Michael and All Angels' Church Hall in Lyneham.
The old-fashioned-style punishment has been welcomed by
people who think shaming such vandals in public is the
best deterrent. The church verger said she hopes the action
will make people think twice before spraying graffiti.
PC Steve Porter, of Wootton Bassett police, said the three
local boys were identified by other youths from the RAF. "They
attended Lyneham church and were seen scrubbing with brushes
and hot water to clean all the graffiti off," he said.
The youths, aged 14 to 15, carried out the work on Saturday. "We
decided the best course of action as a deterrent was for
them to go up and scrub it all off," he said.
"It was targeted for Saturday morning to catch shoppers
walking up and down the High Street and make them aware
of it all going on."
PC Porter said the group's parents were happy for the
punishment to fit the crime. "They are youth so we
can't just grab them and say do this," he said. "We
spoke with the parents and it was with their approval."
The church's verger, Babs Taylor, was also there to oversee
the clean up. She said: "It just goes to show them
they can't get away with it now. If they make any mess
they will have to clear it up themselves so hopefully they
will start thinking twice about this sort of thing."
Ms Taylor praised the police approach. "PC Porter
is very good," she said. "He really hit the nail
on the head with this one. The graffiti was pretty bad
but the boys did a good job. One of them wasn't that keen
but they were very apologetic and this saves putting it
all through the courts."
The police action has been praised by North Wiltshire
MP James Gray. "I think it's a very good scheme indeed,
there should be more of it. If you do damage in society
you should be made to repair it. These hooligans should
be held to account."
St Michael and All Angels' Church priest in charge Anthony
Fletcher hoped that repairing their damage would teach
the boys and others a lesson. “We thought it was
a very good idea because it's a punishment that fits the
crime," he said.
"If you make a mess of it, you should clean it up.
People ought to treat other people's property with respect
and a graveyard with even greater respect."
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