Gwent Police is encouraging parents to speak to their children about the dangers of climbing scaffolding and onto roofs of buildings, following several recent reports in Caerphilly town centre.
Incidents have taken place on commercial premises in the town, including Sports Direct and HSBC bank.
Caerphilly Sergeant Sarah Greening said: “This activity is presenting a great danger and risk to those taking part and I would strongly advise against anyone doing anything similar.
“There is a possibility that these young people may be seeking a quick adrenaline rush by partaking in freerunning. We are not out to spoil people’s fun. We understand freerunning is a hobby that has recently become very popular, but we are thinking of the safety of those involved.”
Gwent Police will make further enquiries into offences being committed on and near similar premises including anti-social behaviour and criminal damage.
Community Support Officer Matt Pearce said: “We don’t want to discourage young people from taking part in freerunning because we want to promote physical activity. However, there are various places where freerunning can take place in a safe environment.”
Gwent Police are working in partnership with Fluidity Freerun to host a free taster session between 6pm and 8pm at Caerphilly Leisure Centre on Sunday April 10, where information on freerunning clubs around South Wales will be available.
CSO Pearce added: “Hopefully we’ll see a good turnout.”
It is said in this report; “Gwent Police will make further enquiries into offences being committed on and near similar premises including anti-social behaviour and criminal damage”. This is not an accurate statement. The Gwent Police are so thin on the ground that they WILL NOT REACT TO OFFENCES OF ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND OFFENCES OF SERIOUS CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PRIVATE PROPERTY caused by inane cretins who consider to climb onto roofs, sometimes forty and even fifty feet off the ground, and cause criminal damage. This is unacceptable. The sooner Gwent Police reflect on the fact that they are employed to proactively protect peoples property and keep the peace of all citizens the sooner public offences like these will deminish.
It is also delussional for Community Support Officers to define this criminal behaviour as an acceptable `pass-time`. There are NO genuine `freerunners` in Caerphilly, and Gwent Police staff are redefining criminal activity as acceptable behaviour, THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE.
The sooner Community Support Officers realise, and, their control and command Police Officer supervisors impress upon them their duty to the entire community the better, in the meantime however Caerphilly Community Support Officers are redefining a crime as a hobby or an acceptable passtime. AND THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
The use of the word freerunner in this article is more than a little inaccurate. Freerunning, is as a form of urban acrobatics in which participants use the city and rural landscape to perform acrobatic movements in order to get from point A to point B. The idiots being described in this article are no more than trespassing vandals, and if a member of the public was to apply anti climb paint, or razor wire to keep these yobs of their property I’m sure Gwent Police would have a few things to say about it.
CORRECT Paul.