A COMMUNITY in Glasgow City Centre has made renewed calls for CCTV to be installed in the area, after several cars were damaged overnight in an act of vandalism.
On Saturday morning, residents in Garnethill found their cars’ wing mirrors and windscreen wipers smashed and ripped off.
According to Garnethill Neighbourhood Watch (GNW), vandals targeted cars in Rose Street, Renfrew Street and Buccleuch Street.
Some residents had their vehicles vandalised multiple times.
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Now, after two unsuccessful petitions, the community is calling for CCTV cameras once again, to help deter crimes and catch the culprits.
Avril Firth and her husband had their cars damaged three times before.
On Saturday, they found vandals had tried to get the wing mirror off and bent the windscreen wipers.
“I was absolutely raging,” she said. “It’s not the first time, previously I had wording etched into the bonnet of my car, and my husband had his window smashed twice in the last year.”
“We need some kind of deterrent and if it doesn’t stop them doing it, at least we might be able to catch them.
“It means lots of costs to us every time.”
Another resident who did not want to be named discovered his wing mirrors, along with several others in the street, had been smashed early on Saturday.
“It was pointless vandalism,” he said, “very annoying and it’s the second time this has happened to my car.
“People should not be able to get away with damaging other people's property.
“CCTV may also help with other issues of muggings, sexual assaults, which have happened in the area in the past.”
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William Beckett, from GNW, said: “We discovered several vehicles in different streets had been damaged, with wing mirrors smashed and windshield wipers ripped off.
“We have never seen anything to this extent in Garnethill, so we are now arranging for another petition for CCTV.
“We have been trying to get one camera at the junction between Rose Street and Hill Street because there is a lot of activity in the evenings and there have been attacks and muggings.”
“Until then our advice is to report everything you see to the police and give us the incident number so that we can petition for CCTV to be installed.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of vehicles damaged on Rose Street in Glasgow around 5.45pm on Sunday, 16 January.
“Enquiries are ongoing and at an early stage. Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference 2587 of 16 January.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Officers are in regular contact with the community council in Garnethill to help address local issues.
"We are aware there is a particularly strong desire to have Public Space CCTV cameras installed and petitions submitted by Neighbourhood Watch have been received and discussed at the Wellbeing, Empowerment, Community and Citizen Engagement City Policy Committee on more than one occasion.”
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