VANDALS have desecrated a flower bed beside the River Okement in Okehampton created by young people and the police as part of a community resolution project.

PC Nathan Walker said the incident had happened on Wednesday last week (November 8) beside the river behind Waitrose supermarket.

The flower border had only been cleared and planted last month by the Okement Rivers Improvement Group with help from PC Walker and two young men making amends, as part of the community resolution process, for their involvement in throwing supermarket trolleys in the river in the summer.

PC Walker said: ‘It is disappointing to think that that there are those in our community who lack the respect and understanding of what we were trying to achieve with this project. If anyone has any knowledge of the person or persons responsible please direct message me on Facebook and I will take up the issue with them.

‘In the meantime I refuse to be deterred from the ultimate goal of working together to resolve the problems of our community. I would really like to fill this bed with plants again. I have tools but no plants, if anyone has any ideas on how I could do this then please let me know.’

PC Walker can be contacted via the general police phone number, 101, or online on the Okehampton Police Facebook page.