Hunt for Walthamstow vandal smashing dozens of car windows every week
Above: Doorbell footage of a person appearing to break car windows
Dozens of car windows have been smashed by a Walthamstow vandal leaving glass strewn across the street and residents fearing they'll be targeted next.
Night after night vehicles are being damaged in a crime spree that began in July and shows no sign of stopping.
Up to forty cars are being targeted each week and the local MP is meeting people living in the affected roads to work out how to catch the culprit.
One resident said she "just cried" when she realised her window had been smashed, adding: "It's just so annoying, they've gone through my car, smashed it and they actually haven't taken anything. There's actually nothing there was nothing of value in the car.
"I'm a teacher. It's just a load of my teaching stuff that they've gone through and from what I've seen they've not taken anything.
She said Walthamstow was "a lovely family area" and this happening, "it's just so annoying".
"There's broken glass on every part of the street, every part because they're just able to do it and get away with it," she added.
Local councillor Khevyn Limbajee said the safety of residents was a top priority and the council shared concerns about the spate of vandalism.
Khevyn Limbajee said: "We all want to see these crimes being thoroughly investigated and the culprits arrested and prosecuted as soon as possible. We are doing whatever we can to support the Met Police in achieving this."Our network of fixed and deployable CCTV cameras is monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, and there is also a livestream direct to the police borough control room so they can see footage in real time."
A police statement said: "We have already done a number of things to crackdown on the crime and identify the perpetrator or perpetrators.
"Local neighbourhood officers have changed their shift pattern to incorporate night shifts, involving both covert and overt patrols. We have also requested the assistance of another team to help with night patrols.
"We’ve held a number of street briefings with local residents and partners in hot spot locations, with more planned in the future.
"We’ve also carried out door to door enquiries in the area to speak to concerned residents and gather evidence, such as dash cam and doorbell footage.
Police said they were first made aware of the attacks in mid-August when "one or two cars" were being targeted each week, adding: "We have noticed an increase over the last two months with a total of about 50 now incidents reported to us – with 25 of those reported in the last month.
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