Dorset Police are investigating a break in at the Bournemouth UKIP office which caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage with clues left behind by the attackers.
UKIP says it cannot confirm whether the attack was politically motivated.
Martin Houlden, UKIP primary candidate, said:
“The police have asked us not to say exactly what it is because if they get the information out in public about what they left behind then they’ll have a chance to manufacture a reason as to why that could’ve been in the offices but there is something that they’ve left behind which I think is going to make the police’s job significantly easier.
“I think it’s always a risk when you’re dealing with politics,” Houlden said.
A smashed window and door was discovered on Tuesday morning at the Landsdowne UKIP office. A neighbouring office was also damaged.
Houlden said he found out about the damage when a neighbour had called him to report the broken widows and smashed door around 830 am. Houlden then walked over to the police station shortly after to alert them of the break in. He said the police have done a thorough job of investigating the break in.
“We’ve had an officer and a CSI officer around for about an hour and a half dusting for prints and various other things.”
Houlden said he was relieved the damage was only a few hundred pounds.
“When you’ve heard there’s been a break in, your mind wanders to what extent the damage might be,” Houlden said. “If they wanted to be really nasty they could’ve spray painted over the walls or the carpet or anything, the damage could’ve been much worse.”
The campaign leaflets and boxes in the office were not damaged.
When asked what precautions the office would take to prevent similar future occurrences, Houlden said:
“We’re all going to take additional security steps, but obviously I don’t want to make those public.”
Dorset Police have released an official statement confirming that an investigation is on-going.
“If we charge someone, or the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) charges someone, we will be releasing as much information as possible and of course by then we will know whether or not it’s politically motivated or not,” Houlden said.
Bournemouth’s candidates engage on social media