Police will be carrying out night time patrols in one of South Wales’s most well-known parks after incidents of criminal damage.
People have been entering Pontypridd’s Ynysangharad Park in the evenings after the gates have been locked and vandalising equipment.
Officers will now be patrolling the park after dark to prevent further damage and using sniffer dogs to catch the culprits.
Inspector Lee Porter, head of the town’s neighbourhood policing team, said: “Ynysangharad Park is a wonderful facility not just for the people of Pontypridd but for those all over South Wales.
“Unfortunately a minority feel the need to climb the fence after the gates have been locked and cause criminal damage which is unacceptable.
“The park already forms part of our daytime patrols but from now on it will be included in our night time duties.
“Our colleagues in the mounted section will be exercising their dogs in the park so anyone in the park at night might very well come across a police dog.
“I would ask parents to speak to their children about where they are going at night and to stay out of the park otherwise they might get a lift home in a police car.”
There has been a significant decrease in daytime anti social behaviour in the last 12 months in the park thanks to the joint efforts of South Wales Police and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.
The latest incident of criminal damage was discovered on Saturday, June 12 having occurred sometime after 9pm on Friday, June 11.
The wooden fence surrounding the outdoor swimming pool was smashed and remnants of the gates were thrown into the pool.
Attempts were also made to start the electric waterslide, causing damage to the control panel.
Cllr Paul Cannon, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Safer Communities, said: “We invest heavily to ensure Ynysangharad War Memorial Park remains a beautiful, attractive place for people to visit. It is, therefore, upsetting and concerning that such vandalism can occur and we will be working with the police to deal with this offending.”
Anyone with information on who is responsible for this damage is asked to contact Pontypridd Police Station by calling 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
