Father demands CCTV cover for Wick cemetery
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Seventeen-year-old Christopher Durrand was killed in a road accident near Bower earlier this year. The tragedy devastated his family and when they discovered his gravestone was damaged, their hearts were “broken all over again.”
Christopher’s father George, who owns Oldwick Garage in Roxburgh Road, Wick, yesterday gave his wholehearted backing to the petition which was started by his late son’s friend, Jon Kirman.
“I support this 100 per cent,” Mr Durrand told the Caithness Courier. “The petition is in shops and pubs in the Wick area and is going door-to-door. It has received fantastic feedback and so far thousands of people have signed it. I hope everyone in Wick signs it.”
He said there have been several incidents of vandalism at the cemetery, although some have not been reported to the police.
“A lot of them have been minor but they have still happened,” he said.
Mr Durrand believes the installation of CCTV cameras would give families “a bit more peace of mind” and help make the cemetery more secure. He would also like to see more lighting there and said people are not keen to visit on winter nights because it is so dark.
Mr Durrand hopes the petition will be successful and the cameras can be installed “as soon as possible.”
He urged the public to back the initiative and help track down who was responsible for what he described as “a sick act.”
“We can’t allow such vandalism to be an ongoing thing. It appears that some toerags think it is okay to do this. It is beyond belief that people can lower themselves to do something like this. It is the lowest thing a person can do,” added Mr Durrand.
Chief Inspector Matthew Reiss, the area commander for Caithness, Sutherland and East Ross, yesterday said he is not aware of any CCTV cameras being installed specifically to cover cemeteries.
“I suspect some people may feel it is a good idea but there will be others who have a different view and feel a cemetery is a private intimate place and would not want cameras there,” he said.
Ch Insp Reiss claimed the issue is one for the wider public to consider but stressed that if the local authority decides to go ahead with such a scheme, the police would operate it. He said enquiries into the vandalism are continuing.
A spokesman for Highland Council expressed his sympathy for the family and said he was sorry to hear about the vandalism.
“Once we receive the petition, we will give it our full consideration and see what we can do,” he added.
The damage to Christopher’s gravestone was discovered by Highland Council staff when they arrived for work and reported it to the police.
The five-foot memorial was knocked down and laser images of Christopher’s face and car were damaged. The incident happened just a fortnight after the stone was erected. The family had waited about three months for some special stone to be imported from India.
Mr Durrand and Christopher’s mother, Valerie Henderson, were devastated by the death of their only son who died in February when his Ford Fiesta left the road at Hastigrow Bridge. Eighteen-year-old Graham Sutherland, a passenger in the vehicle, was injured in the accident.
At the time, Mr Durrand described Christopher, who worked with him in the garage, as “the best son and the best friend in the world”.
