Two men are interviewed during the operation.

Reverend Gordon Bradbery, pictured outside the church last month. Picture: ORLANDO CHIODO

It was hard to deny the offence to two undercover police officers when the evidence was running down the footpath beside the ampitheatre at Crown St Mall.The two young men were sitting on a step having a chat and seemed surprised when Sergeant Darrel Simmons and Constable David Watts - both in plainclothes - revealed that the pair had been spotted on CCTV cameras moments before when one of them was allegedly urinating in public.This was the pointy - and slightly embarrassing end - of a police operation to crack down on offensive behaviour in the mall.

Church wall eroded by wee and sexThe operation was set up to focus on the Wesley Church on the Mall after police were called in to stop drunk passers-by using it as a public toilet.The church's 127-year-old sandstone was being eroded by bodily fluids , and police were using plainclothes officers, in combination with sophisticated security camera surveillance, to stop people urinating on and having sex against church walls.On Friday the Illawarra Mercury was there to see two men given field court attendence notices for urinating in public."Oh bro, I've gotta go to court, eh," one said after giving his particulars to police.Over the course of Friday night, another four people were given court attendence notices for various acts of offensive behaviour.But the operations are picking up more than just people who can't be bothered waiting until they get home to relieve themselves.Police were out last Wednesday where they laid seven charges for offensive conduct, two people for trespassing and another 12 people for being too intoxicated in public.While Friday night's strong winds kept the crowds away from the city centre, the Mercury understands that Wednesday is emerging as a major night for public nuisance along with the traditional Friday and Saturday nights.Crimes are generally alcohol fuelled.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Crackdown on public urination in Crown St Mall

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Get the latest Wollongong news in your inbox