GROUP administrators of Saltash community social media pages have been asked to limit the amount of posts on anti-social behaviour as the town’s police gets to grips with a spate of criminal behaviour in the town.

An admin for one online community group said: “The police did ask us to consider not allowing posts and instead gave us an email for the officer dealing with the crimes.

“However, we decided we would approve them as long as the posts accompanied a crime number for residents to use to report it to the police. We've been trying really hard to enforce the message that crimes need to be reported.”

Residents are being asked to log anything they see with the Police via 101 or online via a new form. Changes to the 101 reporting has improved response speeds according to figures released for 2024.

The broken shop window at Muthu's Mini Market in Saltash
Muthu's Mini Market in Saltash was targeted in an attack which saw a reported armed response by the Police keen to stamp out criminal behaviour in the town. (Supplied)

Average wait times for 101 calls in the latter half of 2024 were three minutes and 43 seconds, almost 27 minutes quicker than the same period in 2023.

PC Martin Cummings spoke at the February meeting of the town council to address concerns after a spate of anti-social behaviour plagued the town at the start of the year.

He told councillors that the rise in anti-social behaviour with criminal damage was related to children aged 8 to 16. The police are working with businesses and viewing CCTV to escalate the participants up the ASB (Antisocial Behaviour) ladder.

January’s crime figures showed a 100 per cent increase in criminal damage in the same period in 2023, 140 per cent increase on violence with injury, a 120 percent increase on theft and a 400 percent increase on shoplifting. PC Cummings added that the statistics for shoplifting were most probably underreported and not a true reflection of the issues in the town’s shops.

Another of the trees left along the shore was replanted at Saltmill by local tree warden for Saltash Town Council. (Picture: Name supplied)
Another of the trees left along the shore was replanted at Saltmill by local tree warden for Saltash Town Council. (Picture: Name supplied) ( )

A weekend of anti-social behaviour followed the PC’s attendance at the meeting, including an incident at Muthu's Crossways Mini Market, with arrests made after a reported armed response by police keen to stamp out criminal behaviour in the town.

Trees at Saltmill were also vandalised in the same time period. Tree warden for Saltash Town Council and member of Saltash Environmental Action, Adrian White, said: “An established oak was ripped off just above ground level. A Turkish Walnut planted by Forest for Cornwall and local volunteers in November 2022 was broken off just above the cage and is as good as dead.

One of the vandalised trees at Saltmill was snapped in half and could not be saved; it was planted two years ago by volunteers as part of the Forest for Cornwall project. (Picture: Adrian White)
One of the vandalised trees at Saltmill was snapped in half and could not be saved; it was planted two years ago by volunteers as part of the Forest for Cornwall project. (Picture: Adrian White) ( )

“Two trees recently planted by Forest for Cornwall were uprooted and thrown aside. By the time I got there, local residents had done a good job of replanting them, so they should survive depending on root damage.”

Two further trees included a Lime tree and a Sequoia.

A local resident at Saltmill, who helped replant the trees, said: “One bench was also moved but they found it too heavy. The kids do not understand that this park is for them. Unfortunately it's an ongoing problem.”

Another added: “It’s heartbreaking to see them lying there. I walk my dog everyday there. We must protect nature.”