RECKLESS THUGS COULD HAVE HURT A CHILD
Cafe owner hits out after glass left embedded in slide
“New levels” of anti-social behaviour were reached in Crieff’s MacRosty Park recently as glass smashed with force at the bottom of the children’s slide caused shards to become embedded in the shute, it has been claimed.
And Rob Bell, proprietor of the park’s Pavilion Cafe, this week admitted he has given up reporting the incidents to the police as he doesn’t feel it makes a difference.
He told the Herald: “They forced it so hard that small shards of glass were stuck on the aluminium slide.
“There are many expletives running through my head about the reckless, stupid actions of the group of idiots that are running around Crieff right now.”
Rob has also made an appeal on social media urging parents to be aware of what their children are up to in the evenings.
He said: “At the least it might shame their parents into some sort of action. Don’t turn a blind eye, this is shameful and idiotic. Get a grip of your kids.”
“New levels” of antisocial behaviour were reached in MacRosty Park recently that could have caused serious injury to a child, concerned locals have claimed.
Rob Bell, proprietor of the park’s Pavilion Cafe, is used to having to clear up the mess left by youths congregating at the pavilion’s benches on Saturday nights and in the school holidays.
Broken glass is often found among the debris.
One day he turned up to find the safety railings on the patio preventing tots falling onto the concrete below had been kicked in.
Rob said he has given up reporting the incidents to the police as he doesn’t feel it makes a difference.
Instead he is vigilant about checking the area around the pavilion, especially the children’s play equipment.
But Rob was dismayed at what he discovered when he turned up to open the cafe on
Sunday, April 3.
He said things had reached a different level after finding glass had been smashed at the bottom of the children’s slide, with so much force that shards had embedded in the shute.
Rob told the Herald: “They forced it so hard that small shards of glass were stuck on the aluminium slide.
“There are many expletives running through my head about the reckless, stupid actions of the group of idiots that are running around Crieff right now.”
Rob highlighted the incident on the Pavilion Cafe’s Facebook page in the hope of making those responsible realise the consequences of their thoughtless behaviour, and he is calling for parents to be aware of what their children are up to in the evenings.
He said: “At the least it might shame their parents into some sort of action. Don’t turn a blind eye – this is shameful and idiotic. Get a grip of your kids.
“Let’s be honest, that’s
where it starts. It’s a society problem – everyone turns a blind eye or says ‘it’s just kids being kids’.
“We have teens running around Crieff assaulting, breaking and entering, and vandalising on a weekly basis. But the current system in society protects those responsible.
“Community action is needed before someone gets hurt.
“The ‘snowflake’ society we live in is a breeding ground for this behaviour.”
Users of the park, such as Kids’ Week in Crieff, say there is always disappointment when locals hear of anti
social behaviour at the popular green space.
KWIC chair Angela Baker said: “It must be absolutely devastating for Rob every time he goes to open up and sees the mess.
“The community has a sense of pride in the park so we all take it personally when something like this happens.
“Those responsible might have siblings that use the park or might become parents themselves one day with small children that will be using the park, so they need to think about the consequences of their actions and who they might hurt.”