By Stewart Ross

A ONCE quiet Glenrothes church is being plagued by vandalism and the boorish attentions of yobs, claims an under-siege minister.

The Rev Jon Gleason said the Free Baptist Church in Queen Margaret Drive has been targeted since June, forcing him to write to Chief Constable Peter Wilson asking for help.

The latest incident was among the most serious with a group of young men “attacking” the church, according to the minister, as an evening service was under way.

“About 7.20pm just as we finished one of our songs, some men started singing very loudly just outside the front door,” said Mr Gleason.

“My teenage son and I went to the door and when I opened it saw that someone had just urinated on the front step. I saw two individuals, though it appeared from their manner that others were present out of my range of view.

“I said, ‘we’re having a meeting, so I’m going to have to ask you to move along so you don’t disturb us.’

“One, who had a bottle and appeared drunk, said mockingly, ‘Oh, they’re having a meeting,’ and it was clear nothing would be gained by talking, so I closed and locked the door.

“They began to swear loudly, so I went into the next room, closed the door so they would not hear me and phoned the police.”

The Oregon-born minister said there appeared to be an attempt to break down the door with screaming and banging continuing until the police arrived around 15 minutes later.

“The officer attending showed me that a shopping trolley had been bashed into the side of my car,” Mr Gleason said.

“When we left, we also found that pieces of a broken bottle in the car park had been placed behind the car tyres.

“As the officer took my statement, she mentioned that the police were aware of a group of six men in the area. Since I had seen no other officers, I asked if she was alone, and she confirmed that she was.”

Mr Gleason is the first to appreciate the efforts of the police but said he feels they are “horribly understaffed.”

Among the catalogue of difficulties encountered by the church are:

Disruption of meetings with the police being called at least six times.

The walls have been spray-painted twice, the church door has been repeatedly scratched, a drain pipe vandalised, as was the roof and drain covers filled with debris.

There is extensive drinking and drug use on church grounds with congregation members often spending time on a Sunday morning cleaning up broken bottles, occasionally syringes and other debris.

Because of its location, the church is a popular location for young people to loiter to smoke or drink unseen.

“But we are obviously disappointed in the police response,” Mr Gleason said.

“As far as I know, no one has been apprehended for any incidents at the church since June and we believe the people of our church, the residents of Auchmuty, and indeed all of Fife, deserve better.”

Mr Gleason said he feels some of the problems can be traced to parents failing in their responsibilities, but some of the people involved are not children but young men.

“This really needs to be looked at. It’s clear that police numbers and police funding has to be looked at.”

Chief Inspector Dougie Saunders said, “We take complaints about anti-social behaviour and vandalism extremely seriously and are aware of ongoing problems at the Free Baptist Church in Queen Margaret Drive, Glenrothes.

“Due to these problems caused by a minority of youths, all police officers working in Glenrothes have been asked to give extra attention to the church and its surroundings.

“We are also concerned about problems caused by youths at other religious establishments in the area. Our dedicated patrols have also been treating them as a priority.

“In response to the latest incident at the Free Baptist Church reported to Fife Constabulary, we reacted promptly and appropriately.”

He added, “We are willing to meet again with Mr Gleason to discuss this further and to see what further measures can be taken to alleviate these problems.”