News

Gang attack historic abbey in Farnborough

By Jack Sommers
June 25, 2010

MONKS are living in fear after a gang of teenagers stormed their historic abbey, causing £2,000 worth of damage.

A group of between 15 and 20 youths began shouting abuse at the monks at St Michael’s Abbey via the gate-phone at its Farnborough Road entrance in the late hours of Saturday June 12, the day of England’s match against the USA in the World Cup.

Father Dom Cuthbert Brogan, abbot of the Grade 1 listed abbey, said he had been frustrated when he was told by police that it would not be possible to immediately despatch officers to the scene when he reported the disturbance.

The police said that the evening had been busy, with disturbances caused by a large number of people who had gone out after the World Cup match.

Fr Cuthbert said: “While I understand the limited resources of the police force and the necessity of prioritising emergency calls, I cannot help but be disappointed to be informed, while 20 youths are breaking into our property and threatening us, that the most we can hope for is a visit within a few days for an incident report.

“Had 20 youths broken into the garden of one of our neighbours in Abbey Way, I cannot imagine that such a response would be deemed satisfactory by anybody.

“I suspect that the police tend to think of us as an institution. We are, in fact, a residence. This is our home.”

The building’s insurers said the vandals caused damage valued at £1,300 to the gate, as well as further damage to a farm in the abbey grounds.

The monks work and worship at the abbey. As well as farming and bookbinding, they sing Gregorian chants during the day, the earliest session starting at 3.30am.

Fr Cuthbert added that the attack two weeks ago followed a similar pattern to other incidents, which he said had happened every night for weeks in previous summers.

The attacks have often started with abuse via the phone and teenagers trying to scale the gate if the monks ignore it, he explained.

He said: “Life is becoming very difficult here. Monks do not envisage being disturbed at night – our day ends at 8pm and begins a 3.30am, so a disturbance between 11pm and 1am is the middle of the night for us.

“We have elderly people who are very distressed by these threats.”

Chief Inspector Duncan Weston said that the night of June 12 had been “extremely busy” despite extra resources to help deal with trouble because of the football match.

“The night-time economy and alcohol-related violence and disorder occupies a huge proportion of officers’ time on Friday and Saturday nights,” he said.

“This, in reality, diverts our resources away from dealing with issues such as those raised by Father Cuthbert.

“Our call handlers did call the abbey back to explain that we were unable to send someone immediately.

“As the youths had already left the abbey grounds, it was agreed that an officer from the safer neighbourhoods team would make an appointment to follow the matter up.”

Fr Cuthbert said security at the abbey had greatly improved during the last decade thanks to police advice and help but was still vulnerable to intruders through the gate.

Ch Insp Weston added: “Why anyone would choose to pick on a quiet, peaceful community such as the abbey is beyond me.

“The abbey contributes so much to the local area and takes nothing back and those involved should be ashamed of themselves.

“If anyone knows who was responsible for this mindless damage, please contact us. Anyone involved in this type of behaviour can expect to be prosecuted.”

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Reply to DH99, That’s the whole point my friend, lack of bodies, misappropriation of funds, poor management. Where is our money going? All we see are traffic cops with cameras aimed at car drivers. They are in the public eye, but not where they are wanted! All we want is to feel safe; after all, we pay enough! Incidentally, if an officer has the time to escort a civilian whilst carrying out his/her duty then that goes to show that they are not over stretched! NOW WHO DOSN’T HAVE A CLUE??? PS. To the censor, if you see fit to edit any of this text, please indicate that this has been carried out.

Kip, Southwood, Farnborough
7/07/2010 at 19:13

It seems you lot have no clue about how much the Police does in the area with very limited resources - it was a Saturday night which is always extremely busy for the Poilice. You probably think that there are dozens of officers that work in the area - well you'd be wrong. Can I suggest that as you all clearly don't have a clue about what goes on, you ask to spend a saturday evening with an officer to find out how they are run ragged, and then you'll be calling for more officers rather than slagging off the ones you already have.

DH99
7/07/2010 at 12:00

Larry S well said... I agree

HD1340
6/07/2010 at 16:51

I wonders how busy the police would of been if it had been an attack by 20 youths on a Mosque ?

doormon, Aldershot
6/07/2010 at 09:31

The editing by the editer with regard to submitted articles here render arguments null and void! Disgusted!!!!!!!!

Kip, Southwood, Farnborough
5/07/2010 at 22:19

HD1340 - the point I was making was that this story should be about the attack on the monastery rather than the lack of response by the police. If the attack hadn't have happened, the police response would be an issue. My point was, simply, that this sort of attack would not have happened 20 years ago and shows have far we have sunk. As it happens, I agree that the availability of cheap alcohol, especially to teenagers, is largely to blame. It is not the fault of the police, they do not make the laws, we do through our elected representatives. And we are the ones who have created a society where this kind of behaviour is tolerated and almost encouraged. We should all be ashamed.

LarryS
5/07/2010 at 12:27

In reply to HD1340, If taxes collected, (and as you so rightly point out – we all pay them, and with the ever growing population it amounts to a vast sum) were actually retained and attributed toward the intended use, then there should be vast amounts of cash in the coffers to pay for more police and indeed other vital services.

It is admitted that sums of money collected by speed cameras and on the spot fines are not being used to fund the farce, so where is it going-who is getting rich?

How many plod actually walk the beat around this area, I can’t remember the last time I saw one. Do they still exist?

On a positive note, the police recently found 90, yes, 90 officers to raid houses in the area on a drugs swoop. Well done to them! Also they found a few officers to shut off roads when an apparent unexploded device was found in Camberley. Again well done! But if you get threatened on your door-step, or a gang starts to destroy your property, you’re on your own.

Rather than waste ‘our’ money on trying to win favour with the public by turning up at fetes and showing off their equipment, they should be seen to be policing, then the public might be more reassured.

Kip, Southwood, Farnborough
3/07/2010 at 13:07

The solution is simple, beyond belief: Close the pubs at 22:30 as used to be the case. I don't remember much trouble then.

Its Douglas
2/07/2010 at 22:48

Larry S You open up an interesting debate. What is it our police should be dealing with?

Locally we want a thriving economy in this area and we have dozens of pubs and clubs providing jobs and income. This unfortunately generates the great British problem of drunken behaviour. The quotes are right, for all out town centres nationally our police have to put their officers into dealing with problems generated from those who profiteer from selling too much drink, with those who drink to much and cause violence and disorder and with those who just drink so much that they can't look after themselves. Is it not a simple fact that once dealing with once incident the same officer cant be elsewhere? It would be interesting to know exactly how many officers are on patrol locally.

We all pay our taxes and those provide only so many firemen ambulances and police. Leave the police out of it ask the ambulance service if they meet all their calls for help on a friday and saturday night and if so why not. I think you will find the reasons are the same. The only way to increase the numbers is to raise taxes which none of us want.

Our society today does not support our emergency services when things go wrong, have a look at the IPCC website on the issue of "deaths following police contact". On radio 4 today The Chief HMI talked about the risks officers face for example if they deal with a drunk then don't take them home and they die or are assualted on the way, then thats seen as the Polices fault for not taking on a duty of care. Is that what the police should be doing? I don't think so.

I read these blogs with some sense of shame on the bash everyone mentality of some of the regular correspondants here. Some will surely sit down this weekend to enjoy their half empty glass of beer whilst continuing as paper tigers.

Why not try and be positive about our community or better still stand up and be counted and do something about it, become a councillor, a retained firefighter a St Johns or a special constable

Our public servants as a whole have a difficult job to do under difficult circumstances, if you think things are bad now wait until cuts kick in and see the results on the Fire Police and Ambulance provision locally.

Emergency services deal with the consequences of societies decisions and choices, they don't cause the problems they deal with.

HD1340
2/07/2010 at 09:46

You heard that residents of North Hampshire/West Surrey - the police cannot protect you, so you had better be prepared to protect yourselves. The police have FAILED to turn up to the scene of many serious crime incidents in the last 18 months in and around Aldershot. Criminal damage and violent assaults that require any kind of investigative resource are simply ignored. What is the point of dialling 999 nowadays?

I for one won't bother with them - I am prepared to stand up for my rights defend my property and family regardless of these stupid laws that could seeme inside.

Don Farkiou
1/07/2010 at 14:43

Lets leave the issue of the police to one side for a moment. The real issue here is the attack on the monastery. We should all be ashamed that we live in a society where this sort of thing happens. It just shows how far, as a nation, we have sunk in recent years.

LarryS
1/07/2010 at 10:35

This is not at all because the police were busy. An assault on a monastery by 20 yobs should be a lot higher police priority than dealing with a few drunken football incidents (if they ever existed). The true reason, I suspect, is that the police are not willing to confront gangs of yobs - probably owing to their Health & Safety regulations - in case there is trouble. Fill out the incident paperwork on a, safer, later occasion.

Ch Insp Weston added: “Why anyone would choose to pick on a quiet, peaceful community such as the abbey is beyond me. Ch Insp Weston,laughably, added: “If anyone knows who was responsible for this mindless damage, please contact us. Anyone involved in this type of behaviour can expect to be prosecuted". If he had responded he might have found out whom were responsible.

Its Douglas
30/06/2010 at 23:19

werf44 - aren't you being a bit harsh. It was way past their bedtimes and it must be soo tiring having to keep pointing that speed trap thingy.

Dan B - you are so right.

pjt
29/06/2010 at 10:26

Perhaps the monks should've made some sort of threats back to the yobs. The police would've been there in seconds.... to arrest them rather than the little oiks no doubt.