Over a few hours a week ago, Farnham resembled the Wild West as vandals with catapults went on the rampage around the town.
Between 4 am and 6 am on Sunday, 25th September, businesses and private residences in Farnham were damaged. Officers are keen to speak to the person in this CCTV image, who they believe may be able to help their investigation.
Now Police are appealing to the public for help.
MP Jeremy Hunt said he was appalled at the wanton destruction of premises, including Farnham’s treasured Maltings.
“This is devastating: two vandals smashed up the huge glass panes at the entrance of the Maltings with a catapult, then went on to damage 13 other places, including Lizzie’s Sweet Shop in Downing St.”
The rampage occurred in the early hours when a host of homes and businesses were targeted.
The most high-profile offence saw the front atrium of the Farnham Maltings shattered, leaving the venue with a clear-up bill of around £5,000 – with the repairs expected to cost as much as four times that figure.
Other premise hits included Laly’s chemist, Loaf and Sweet Lizzy’s in Downing Street and Guitar Village and The Prial on West Street.
The Police have come under fire from some for not responding to the incident fast enough. But Police say many of the victims did not report incidents, leaving officers to trawl through Facebook pages to find out which properties were affected.
As a result, Sgt Michael Knight pleads for businesses and the public to work with officers to track down those responsible.
Inspector Sam Adcock, Borough commander, confirmed five incidents were reported over the weekend, and officers have since found another six, potentially linked to a seventh being investigated.
“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim to report these incidents to us either online or through our live chat function.
“My team are committed to investigating these incidents and will do everything we can to identify the suspects and take appropriate action. We would ask that no images of the suspects be circulated on Social media now.”
CCTV footage from the Maltings clearly showed two male offenders, aged around 14 to 17 years old, attacking the building with a catapult at 4.45 am.
