Third man arrested over chopped down speed camera
A third man has been arrested in connection with the chopping down of a speed camera. Two men have already been bailed by Devon and Cornwall Police after being arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after the latest spate of attacks at Truro[1] and Perranarworthal.
The two cameras were hacked down in the early hours on January 3. The one on the A39[2] at Perranarworthal - one of two average speed cameras - had been cut down before, along with the other one at the other end of the village.
Devon and Cornwall Police[3] confirmed that a man from the Falmouth[4] area and one from the Porthleven[5] area, both in their 30s, were subsequently arrested and their properties were searched and vehicles seized as part of the investigation.
Both men have been bailed[8] until April 1 and 2 respectively, pending further inquiries. Now a police spokesperson has confirmed that a third man has been arrested for similar offences. The spokesperson said: "The man, in his 60s, from the Helston[9] area, was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and has been released on police bail to return on Tuesday April 16."
The speed camera which was cut down along Tregolls Road in Truro was reinstated[10] on February 16. In addition the cameras along the A39 have also been repaired - and come with extra vandal-proof features too.
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The original cameras were installed in March 2023 after years of campaigning from residents and a local action group. Each costs the taxpayer about £20,000 to replace, according to Devon and Cornwall Police[12].
A camera on New Row in Longdowns[13] also believed to have been chopped down on the evening of November 16 is also understood to have been put back up. Slightly farther afield from the others, a camera was also vandalised at Drakewalls, Gunnislake, near the Devon border[14] , which saw a maintenance panel ripped off and wires inside sliced through.
Cherilyn Mackrory, MP for Truro and Falmouth, welcomed the cameras being reinstalled. She said: "I was very disappointed indeed to see the continued vandalism of speed cameras at Perranworthal in recent months.
"These cameras were put in place with full community support following a campaign from local Cllr Peter Williams and evidence from the excellent volunteer speedwatch team, to address a particularly dangerous stretch of the road, and the destruction of them did nothing but cost the taxpayer in getting them replaced. I hope these new cameras will be left in place to do their job and keep our roads safe going forward."
References
- ^ Truro (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ A39 (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Falmouth (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Porthleven (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Couple banned from keeping animals after horrific case of neglect (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Struggling Cornwall gallery says enticing customers is 'soul-destroying' (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Both men have been bailed (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Helston (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ camera which was cut down along Tregolls Road in Truro was reinstated (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Try CornwallLive Premium for FREE with no intrusive ads and brilliant new features (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ Devon and Cornwall Police (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ New Row in Longdowns (www.cornwalllive.com)
- ^ vandalised at Drakewalls, Gunnislake, near the Devon border (www.cornwalllive.com)