Thugs in balaclavas broke onto farmers’ land in the Cambridgeshire Fens and terrorised residents, destroying crops and setting fire to cars in a rampage that left locals ‘traumatised’
Villagers in a sleepy area of Cambridgeshire are being “terrorised” by a gang of at least 30 masked yobs who have been ripping up gardens and setting fire to residents’ cars.
A convoy of 30 cars drove rampage through the posh Cambridgeshire Fens which resulted in farmers’ crops being destroyed, shops targeted and locals “traumatised”. An emergency meeting held following the raid on Saturday heard how residents had furiously dialled 999 but felt “unprotected”.
Dramatic accounts were heard at the meeting at Manea British Legion Club, called by local Tory MP Steve Barclay. One local warned police at the meeting that “you will have another Tony Martin on your hands”, in reference to the Norfolk farmer who was jailed for shooting dead a burglar on his property in 1999.
Matthew Latter, a farmer from village Chatteris, told the meeting he had to barricade himself and his young family inside as thugs broke onto his land, breaking gates and causing mayhem. He claimed his seven-year-old daughter was “crying and utterly terrified”. Other villages struck by the rampage included Manea, Wimblington, Welney, Fordham, Ely, Prickwillow and Littleport.
Another farmer, Robert Sears, told how he confronted a convoy of 25 4x4s as they careered down his farm track, only to be met with aggression as they rammed his vehicle causing further damage. “It’s not the damage to our property, it’s the violation suffered,” he told the packed meeting with around 300 residents and officials.
Mr Sears made 999 calls and was told police would attend within three to four hours. He added: “After Mr Sears called emergency services, he was informed that police would arrive within three to four hours.” He continued: “That was Saturday morning, I am still waiting – that’s not good enough.”
Leo Butler, a farmer from Chatteris, faced unprecedented destruction on his land as criminals ravaged his fields, amidst other reports of hare-coursing – an illegal bloodsport where dogs are used to chase down and hunt hares. He lamented the lack of police presence, stating: “What I would like to know is where were the police – there were no helicopters, no police cars, not one police officer – nothing. If the police aren’t going to confront these people somebody’s got to.”
Chief Constable Nick Dean said there was “no excuse” for the lack of response and that a regional-level enquiry is being launched to investigate what went wrong. He added he had gone with his “gut feeling” over the allocation of extra resources and his comment that “I perhaps got it wrong in hindsight” brought laughter from the crowded hall.
Mr Barclay said he was pleased to hear the chief constable acknowledge the police mistakes and a promise there would be a regional-level investigation. Local policing commander Superintendent Ben Martin said: “We understand the damage, concern and fear these incidents have brought to our rural communities and are sorry we were unable to do more to stop the activities of these people at the time. The information we had in advance of this gathering had very limited detail, so a force-wide dispersal order was put in place.
“However, due to the scale of the incident and the multiple locations where offences took place, as well as a significantly demanding weekend elsewhere in the county, meant we didn’t have the resources available to deal with every report we received from members of the public.”
Neighbouring Hertfordshire Police meanwhile said it was investigating reports of hare-coursing and criminal damage in the area, and released drone footage in a bid to identify suspects. Sergeant Alex Winning from the Rural Operational Support Team (ROST) said, “It is believed that a number of vehicles set off from Cambridgeshire and proceeded into Hertfordshire, going through fields, breaking gates and are then suspected to have taken part in hare coursing.
“There was significant damage to arable land caused by 4×4 vehicles and hare coursing offences committed contrary to the Hunting Act of 2004.” He added: “Two of the vehicles involved were a Blue Subaru Forester and a Silver Toyota RAV4.
“We are aware of videos circulating on social media showing some of what took place and we would ask anyone who recognises any of the individuals in the photos or video to please report information online, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat, email ROST or call the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/8284/25.”