It's not often that the press report simple mindless vandalism, but this particular case has recently made the headlines.
My native village of Lingfield in Surrey is very close to both the villages of Godstone and Oxted; two venues that are currently suffering from regular bouts of serious hooliganism from marauding gangs (above). They smash church, house, and car windows, kill animals, and have even blinded Swans on Godstone village pond; a pond I know well. They generally cause mayhem by firing catapults whilst others are asleep.
It is difficult to understand why some people commit blatant vandalism and cruelty. It has been alleged that the perpetrators are from an ex-traveler community, but this is no excuse to behave badly. Many people have financial or social problems but they don't go around killing pets or smashing windows.
Some people are simply prone to vandalism, it seems to be in their blood. I imagine it's a question of 'they have what I don't, so I'll smash it'; not unlike keying expensive cars.
Some while back I wrote about the possibility of reintroducing some form of National Service, to give such people a purpose in life. I now see that the idea is becoming spoken about across the board, and it does look as if it will be introduced some time in the not too distant future.
Maybe swapping their catapults for more modern weaponry on a shooting range will help heal their inherent woes.
I do find it very odd that the good folk of Godstone are able to photograph these people, yet PC Plod fails to arrest them. What more do they need?