Councillors call for more police action over ‘new bike gang’ in town causing harm to businesses and residents

Town councillors are calling for the police to step up to tackle crime in Wisbech which they say is causing businesses to lose trade due to youngsters' behaviour.

At the meeting of Wisbech Town Council on Monday, councillors addressed the issues businesses and residents are having and are urging police to act swiftly.

Cllr Steve Tierney said there is a problem in the town with a new bike gang – “like we have seen in the past” –which is problematic and has been running a campaign of intimidation and vandalism in the marketplace and surrounding areas.

A few businesses are being particularly targeted with some attacks seeming to be racially motivated and others not, he explained.

“One particular shop at the weekend had its entire front barricaded off. They dragged metal barricades from the other end of the market where they were tied up, untied them, and dragged them down so people could not get in and out, making it a very difficult job to remove them as they are heavy.

“They have set fire to another shop, smashed the shop up while customers have been in there. They have walked in and intimidated and abused staff and customers.

“The same group went to The Rose and Crown Hotel, threw bricks and eggs at the hotel, ran into the hotel and screamed at people waiting to book a room. All of this is on CCTV which has been given to the police.”

Cllr Tierney said so far the police have not done a lot: “They have attended a couple of times, but I would like to see a much stronger response.

“This is happening almost every night now, a member of the public said the same gang ran a scooter into a child, she was knocked over but was unharmed luckily, just a bit shaken up.”

He believes it is a gang of 12 to 13-year-olds with a few older boys who seem to be the ring leaders.

He added: “What they do is, initially just cheer and shout and swear and minor vandalism, then egg each other onto big things and then come into the shops, turn over the tables, throw the chairs.

“The shop owners and customers feel unable to respond as they feel if they respond they will be the ones arrested.

“They have called 999 and police have been a bit slow to respond when they have called them and sometimes not at all, so they are sort of at the end of their tether.

“One business owner told me he does not know how long he can continue this situation as it is really hurting his business – people are afraid to come in.

“He has had the glass on his window broken multiple times, and cannot afford to keep replacing panes on glass.

“It is multiple businesses and they are all telling me the same stories.”

Cllr Tierney said he would like the councillors to write to the police and say they really want this addressed as a matter of urgency. Councillors confirmed that they would be happy to.

He said if nothing is done, these children will progress into trouble they cannot get out of: “We have to protect them from themselves.”