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Castle Point police use night vision goggles to spot yobs (From Echo)
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Castle Point police use night vision goggles to spot yobs
7:10am Thursday 22nd July 2010
NIGHT vision goggles are being used by Castle Point police to drive misbehaving yobs out of parks.
The special equipment, which enable people see to see in the dark, may be more associated with war-torn Afghanistan, but now they are being put to good use in Benfleet and on Canvey.
Officers will be deployed in areas, such as John Burrows Park, Hadleigh, and Richmond Park, Benfleet, to look for teenagers who cause trouble after dark.
Sgt Mark McQuade, from Benfleet police, said it would make it easier for cops to see what large groups of teenagers get up to from afar.
He said: “If you see them at a distance and you shout out, or they see us using torches, they can move on before we catch them.
“Having these night goggles gives us distance to work from.
“They can’t see us coming, but we can see what they are doing and keep on top of it.”
The two sets of goggles have been provided by Castle Point Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership at a cost of £100 each.
The police now put one set to use on Canvey, while the other is in parks and open spaces across Benfleet now the schools have broken up.
Roy Jones, a member of the short mat bowls club, at John Burrows Hall, Hadleigh, said the windows had been smashed so often, they have now been boarded up.
He hopes the night vision goggles will prove a better deterrent than the steel fencing around the building because, he said, that has not stopped louts from lobbing bricks over the top.
Mr Jones said: “I approve of it and hopefully, if it gets publicity, it will prove a deterrent because they’ll never know when the police are watching.”
Youngsters have also been causing problems by throwing firecrackers in Daws Heath Road outside the entrance to the park.
Sgt McQuade said they would be concentrating further patrols outside Rileys snooker club, Tarpots, and in front of Appleton School youth club, where teenagers tend to congregate.
They will also be focusing on Jotmans Farm allotments where some youngsters have been pitching tents to camp at night.
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Your Say YourEcho
Nebs, Westcliff-on-Sea says...
7:42pm Wed 21 Jul 10
bumper, sorry its not my town or village says...
11:20pm Wed 21 Jul 10
Tricky Nick, ESSEX says...
12:40pm Thu 22 Jul 10
you must get out more !
Bring back Paul SAUNDERS
Sir Benfleet, benfleet says...
1:06pm Thu 22 Jul 10
NickPrawnby, Benfleet says...
4:29pm Thu 22 Jul 10
Forward into the 20th century with Essex Police........
this technology has been around for decades, what next?
Biros instead of pencils??
Capt Mainwaring, Walmington on Sea says...
5:32pm Thu 22 Jul 10
Night watch – a police officer uses night vision binoculars to looks for cable thieves on the c2c rail line
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torridpiper, essexman says...
6:08pm Wed 21 Jul 10
'Close your curtains'
Otherwise Police Officers will go blind!!