Vandals do four-figure damage to Vazon’s refurbished toilets
Tuesday 14th September 2010, 2:29PM BST.
VAZON BAY toilets are the latest to be targeted by late-night vandals.
Over £1,000-worth of damage was done when all four urinals in the men’s toilets were smashed.
Toilet roll holders and seats were also ripped off in the women’s facilities between 7pm on Friday and 8am on Saturday.
Vazon Bay Cafe manager Nic Percy (pictured) said the vandalism was frustrating – but not surprising.
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This never happened when I was younger we had respect for others and there properties. do the parents know where there children are at night and what they are up to? All you hear is that they have nothing to do in Guernsey well im sure if they got off ther behinds got a job and worked for there money then Im sure they would understand the value of it and not go around braking, steling, rubbing, etc
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sssshhhh otherwise they’ll be the next to close!
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I cannot believe the amount of vandalism and crime for such a small Island, it has become even worse over the last few years. 60,000 people and these criminals never seem to be caught, where do they go??? no matter which way they run they end up in the sea, makes me wonder where the police are, very rarely see them out and about, me thinks Guernsey Police have desk jobs!!!!
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I’m not sure what “braking, steling & rubbing” are, but sign me up!
The toilets should definitely be locked at night though…
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It saddens me to read this. Recently while back in the island on holiday I visited the kiosk and used the toilets – I remember remarking to my eldery mum that it was good to see some nice public toilets finally. I hope they catch who did this and sincerely hope they dont just get a slap on the wrist. Surely with such a small population the police must have some idea who does this type of thing ? Bring back the stocks !!
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Sarah. I would offer that the problem today, as opposed to the fifties & sixties when I
(and perhaps you) were raised, is that there are no real deterents in todays society, not, that is, unless a serious crime of immense evil is commited and even then there are ‘lawyers’ who are permitted to make rings around the system no matter what the criminal, young or old, has done.
For example there are ‘slaps on the wrists’,
‘rehabilitation houses’, ‘community service’ ‘courses’ on ‘how to behave’, ‘under age’ and, the Daddy of them all…..’Human Rights’, most of it a huge joke and often used out of context. Add to this the fact that often there are times when we tie our police forces’ hands. We hire fewer officers and then publicly run down the lot of them when they make a minor mistake or get ‘physical’ with a criminal. Indeed, gone are the days of the birch etc. And gone are the ‘memories’ of the birch etc which initself sufficed for a few years after the birch was abolished.
Instead, today, we have a new young generation. Some are exceptional human beings and deserve every accolade. Some are disrespectful and arrogant and deserve the full weight of the law to come crashing down upon them. So give the Police the extra strength that they need in todays world, and when the Police catch the pathetic ‘toilet destroyers’ and make someones darling little Billy or Blossom responsible for the evil they have done – AND ALSO MAKE THEM AND OR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS PAY FOR THE DAMAGED ITEMS – don’t knock the force. Instead be thankful that the force exists, and thank them publically.
The other option is to live with what you have and go pee in the bushes with the rest of the animals.
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Time to install CCTV in the island’s toilets and sod any objections.
Even if there was CCTV over the doors and hand wash areas that also captured sound, this could go a very long way to directly identifying a small number of possible suspects when vandilism occurs.
For me for every offense caused and convicted that should take 6 months off the right to making any benefit claim and like points on a license they take 5 years to wear off.
So that way everyone has an incentive to not cause damage as they could be a real penalty.
Ragerdless of personal circumstances these can change and who may not need support now may do later and vice versus.
The toilets are a very useful facility around the island and these mindless acts need to be some how stopped.
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The same gang of kids hangs around Vazon Kiosk every evening causing trouble. Half the time they are blind drunk and downright offensive – I have even seen them smashing bottles on the sand on the beach. (To say nothing of their braking, steling and rubbing)
I’m not saying it was them who smashed up the toilets but – if our boys in blue are looking for someone to question – you don’t have to be Inspector Morse to know where to start looking.
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These morons will probably be bragging about their exploits
Time to offer a reward for information ?
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I’m afraid that as the majority, if not all, of the vandalism takes place at night I agree with Dean – the States should close the toilets at night. There is less call for them at that time (mind you I remember a few beach parties where they were pretty handy!). If I were the States I’d give Mr Percy the keys to the Vazon ones as I’m sure he’d be happy to close up for them.
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we never had this when the Germans were in charge.
this island has gone down hill over the last 60years thats for sure.
milk has gone up
bus fares have gone up
cost of keeping toilets has gone up
even the land fill has filled up.
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Those urinals look in pretty good condition to say they have been vandalised!
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How on the world’s earth does it cost £1000 a month to lock some toilets at night.
I always lock myself in the toilet everynight for way less than that.
Greggy xxx
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CCTV is the answer – I for one would have no objection in all areas of the public toilets being watched bar the actual cubicle. Put a few of the vandals away for a while and it might stop the others who think it is funny to carry out mindless vandalism because they are “bored”.
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This makes me so angry and frustrated. I’m not sure what these vandals think that they are achieving by doing this. Maybe if they were caught, and then we all went round to their homes and smashed up their belongings they might realise their stupidity.
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Welcome to the real world, Guernsey is going the way of the UK, no discipline in the schools, and its downhill from here!!
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I phone That photo was taken either before the vanderlism or since Sunday because there were’nt any there on Sunday afternoon
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There really is no need for this inane behaviour, and we need to deal with these pathetic characters once and for all – bring back the cat! I totally agree with the statement ‘where are the police’, what happened to the local bobby who had his own patch and knew the local troublemakers?
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Some things never change. Public urinals are refurbished and then some morons turn up (as if it’s their right) to smash them up and again the good old taxpayer covers the cost. You can just see them now, sniggering, laughing and whooping with glee as the urinals are vandalised. Pathetic!
Bring back the birch, I say and make their parents cover the cost. Having a sore backside and being unable to sit comfortably for a week or so should be a good way of making the point that vandalism doesn’t pay.
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Caroline:
Great suggestion: The police should all be posted to the middle of nowhere 24 hours a day so public loos don’t get vandalised.
Thank god you don’t run the Home Dept.
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Bring back the birch….
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I totally agree with ‘mum22′. Unfortunately in this day and age you cannot trust anyone to look after the facilities (which are provided for their own benefit). Lock the toilets in the evenings and the problem will stop. ‘Boredom’ is not motivation for vandalism. Pressure from peers and alcohol is more than likely to be the root cause. Don’t bash the police force for not catching these morons, they can’t be everywhere at once and unfortunately their priorities must lie with public safety in St.Peter Port at this current time.
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iphone4
Perhaps that’s a photo of the ladies section!
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If it costs £1000 per month to open and lock the toilets, I’ll do it for £750.
Or…….how about giving Mr Percy a key so he can unlock them when he arrives and lock them when he leaves.
And I agree with a couple of comments above so how about combining them – dock their benefits (cos the lazy scum are bound to be unemployable)and birch them. I guarantee within 1 month there would be no more anti social behaviour of any kind.
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Ray I would be interested to know how a lady can use a urinal
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It is because of all the pussyfooting around with people like this. If you keep turning the police into social workers this is what happens. Is it illegal for kids to drink alchohol….yes! Is it illegal to bash up the toilets…yes! Is it illegal to make a mess by littering and leaving broken glass everywhere….yes! Lock up the lot of them. No community service orders or other such rubbish! If want to act like an adult and to things that adults do…then take the punishment like an adult. I would gladly cane the lot. And do not tell me this was not the slobby rude drunk brats that caused this. But no…give them some more money so they can sit and get drunk at my expence and breed more useless individuals that my children will have to support….INSANITY!
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John
That’s why CCTV would come in handy
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John. She-Wee.
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Hey John, haven’t you seen the scene with the women in the gents’ toilets in ‘The Full Monty?’ They use the urinals fine!
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Wow these mindless morons must be big and hard eh beating up defenceless urinals ! Hope they read this if their capable of reading ! Grow up you idiots.
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Easy solution
Just get Mr Percy to guard the toilets.
That look on is face will send shivers down the spine of our yoof brigade
Problem solved!!
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Dean and CD…How very thoughtful and grown up of you to pick up on somebody’s inability to spell properly. Must feel really proud of yourselves. Grow up and have some consideration. She has just as much right to have her say without being made to feel stupid.
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GOODBYE GUERNSEY.
re your readers comments on the urinals issue. its the biggest load of pre – stone age mindless thinking i have ever come across. god help the human race if thats where we are all going.
good bye guernsey. i wont be calling again.
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tony gibbons
Our evil plan seems to be working a treat what with you leaving,Belinda leaving and hopefully many of the morons who get their jollies by braking,steling and rubbing
Our evil plan is to reduce the population to about 50,000 by the end of 2012 by deporting all the Kevs,all the workshy layabouts,all the tree huggers,all the teenage baby factories,all the Sun readers and anyone who can’t spell antidisestablishmentarianism
Oh yes … and Arnald
Got to rush off now for morning Mass
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Truth Man to Caroline:
Great suggestion: The police should all be posted to the middle of nowhere 24 hours a day so public loos don’t get vandalised.
What would be so wrong with that? The only time I have ever seen Police near there is when they are hiding round the corner waiting to do somebody for speeding. And that’s during the day before the Kevs come out to play. Is it really such a novel idea that the police actually patrol our island properly? The little gits who smash up toilets today grow into adults who have no regard for decent society unless they are taught better. What are the police saving themselves for anyway … infiltrating the mafia, serial killers, lost garden gnomes?
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to heck with stocks, bring back the birch i say.
what about bringing in “payday fines”. instead of a one-off fine make them pay every month or week for a year, to ensure the punishment is an effective deterrent.
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Dave Haslam: “Easy solution
Just get Mr Percy to guard the toilets.”
I couldn’t agree more – let’s point Percy at the porcelain!
tony gibbons: “GOODBYE GUERNSEY…. i wont be calling again.”
Thank you sooooo much for your helpful contribution. Missing you already.
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Beanjar:
The police are not ‘saving themselves’ for anything. They follow a sensible resourcing and work management model called ‘prioritisation’. Surprising as it may be to you, sitting in the middle of nowhere waiting for the the odd toilet vandal to turn up is not good time-management. If the police did do as you propose you’d soon be moaning that they all just sit around in car parks all day doing nothing whilst no-one deals with fights, missing persons, domestic incidents, the list goes on. I’m surprised you don’t ‘get’ that – it really is a very simple concept.
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Truth Man, what a crock. If they don’t have the ability to catch ‘the odd toilet vandal’ its hardly surprising they fail so miserably to catch anybody more devious and capable than a bored teenager. I’m surprised you don’t ‘get’ that – it really is a very simple concept.
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I think it’s been over a year now since some moron or other smashed up the Little Chapel
Do you think it would have been a good use of manpower to have had a PC on guard there every night since then?
You’ll probably be the first to shout yes when it happens again
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Beanjar:
A ‘crock’? Is it? Since you seem to have so much knowledge on the subject perhaps you will tell us how you would catch a toilet vandal (in answering the question you have finite resources with which to do this). Since you think resolving this is a simple concept perhaps you will answer the question easily.
As for your assertion that the police fail miserably to catch any more devious criminals, I can think of many, many press reports and court cases where our most high profile cases have been brought to court by the work undertaken by the police. Therefore your latter point is void.
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Sadly I’m sure it will happen again. And a factor in why it will happen again is that the culprits can be 99.9% sure that they will get away with it. Chance of getting caught in the act by a patrolling police officer – zero. Chance of getting caught via detection or forensics – zero. In fact their only chance of getting caught is if a member of the public catches them or reports them. Is that what passes for policing nowadays? Oh yes, ‘prioritisation’. What nonsense.
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By the way, calling yourself ‘Truth Man’ does not give you unique insight into every subject you spout forth about. Other people are entitled to an opinion too, you know. Whether I have ever been a Chief Constable etc. is tiresomely irrelevant – theoretically this is still a democracy.
Specifically on the subject of policing, I disagree that any crime should be deemed too ‘low priority’ to be taken seriously by the police. The same little scrotes who smashed up Vazon toilets in all likliehood make a habit of such crimes and the overall damage they cause has serious impact financially, in terms of convenience and public morale. Our feeble authorities will probably lock public toilets now, as usual decent tax-paying people get punished for the behaviour of a few feral kids. Fine impression that will leave with tourists or anybody else ‘caught short’.
In places where crime has been dramatically reduced such as New York City it has been through a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ where no crime however minor goes unpunished. Such places have realised that young minor criminals turn to more serious crimes later on if their offending behaviour goes unchecked. By all means use more CCTV but there is no deterant like police patrols, where the hell are they?
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Beanjar:
Whilst ranting and raving you forgot to answer my question.
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