ONE councillor has called for greater surveillance on the city’s war memorials after a public monument was defaced as police warn the investigation could stall without witnesses.
At this week’s meeting, Tamworth councillor Mark Rodda called for permanent CCTV cameras to be installed at all of the town's prominent memorials after the honour rolls at Anzac Park were vandalised.
Cr Rodda labelled the episode disappointing and a "sad occurrence".
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"In light of the wanton and malicious damage on the Anzac Park honour rolls", Cr Rodda called for council staff to look into the cost of installing cameras at a range of locations.
He called for surveillance at Anzac Park, Gipps Street Avenue of Honour, the Marius Street memorials and the Waler monument in Bicentennial Park.
"It's a sad occurrence something like that would happen on the eve of Anzac Day, I'm very disappointed, but surprised it hasn't happened earlier," he said.
He said the gates were dedicated in 1927 and guessed "it would come at a great cost to restore".
Tamworth officer-in-charge Chief Inspector Jeff Budd told The Leader crime scene officers had combed the scene and taken fingerprints.
“We’ve conducted several inquiries behind a certain line of investigation,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it has come to a standstill without evidence from witnesses who might have seen someone at the gates acting suspiciously.”
Chief Inspector Budd said police had reason to believe it was a “targeted attack” by a member of the public.
“We have a strong theory which we worked upon on Tuesday, well into the night and followed numerous inquiries,” he said.
“We’re confident this is not a group of young children or hoodlums, we’re confident it is a targeted attack and there is some underlying issues behind it.
“But without some strong evidence linking someone to the offence, the investigation will be at a stalemate and we won’t be able to move forward.”
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Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
