Two men arrested after speed cameras in Cornwall cut down

Two men in their 30s, one from the Falmouth area and one from the Porthleven area, have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and are currently in police custody. As part of ongoing enquiries, officers from the Road Safety Team and the neighbourhood teams from Truro and Falmouth have carried out a number of property searches and have seized several vehicles. The investigation is looking into reports of criminal damage to static speed cameras in Tregolls Road, Truro, and at Perranarworthal.

Inspector Tim Evans said: “We continue to urge the community to report any suspicious activity or share information that might help our enquiries. “If you witnessed the incident or have any information or dashcam footage that could help with enquiries, please contact police via our website here or by calling 101 quoting 50240001590. “Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at https://orlo.uk/rUOoz or by calling freephone 0800 555111.”

Only last week two more speed cameras were cut down overnight[1] – one of which was only replaced just a few months ago. It took the total number of speed cameras chopped down by vandals in Cornwall to six, following two at Perranarworthal[2] in October last year, then one at Longdowns[3] and one just outside Trewennack[4] within the space of a week of each other, last November. Last Wednesday police were called to Tregolls Road, Truro just after 3am.

However, those responsible had left the scene before officers arrived. The police then discovered one of the speed cameras at Perranaworthal had also been cut down, for the second time. Cornwall Council and Devon and Cornwall Police, both of which are members of the Vision Zero Road Safety Partnership, issued a joint statement at the time saying: “We are really disappointed to see yet more mindless vandalism targeted at safety cameras in Cornwall.

“These devices were installed at the wishes of the community to improve road safety in areas which had previously experienced high speeds and several serious and fatal collisions.

“While these cameras are inactive, these communities no longer have the protection they were once afforded, which is really saddening.

“The cost of replacing these cameras is also a burden which has to be footed by the taxpayer, making these attacks all the more bizarre.”

References

1. ^ two more speed cameras were cut down overnight (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)
2. ^ Perranarworthal (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)
3. ^ Longdowns (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)
4. ^ Trewennack (www.falmouthpacket.co.uk)