Hampshire County Council Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel Item 24 October 2003 Vandalism and Preventative Measures Report by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services |
Contact: Mike Fitch Ext: 7846 email: [email protected]
1 |
Introduction |
|
|
1.1 |
This report reviews the pattern and costs of vandalism across the County Council's estate and highlights initiatives being taken in consultation with schools, the police and communities to prevent or minimise the effects of vandalism. |
|
|
2 |
Background |
|
|
2.1 |
The cost to the Policy and Resources of vandalism reinstatement and vandalism prevention measures since 1998 has continued to rise as set out below: 1998/ 1999/ 2000/ 2001/ 2002/ 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Vandalism Reinstatement 486,007 530,344 591,396 725,998 780,972 Vandalism Prevention 100,906 68,403 69,927 142,318 145,585 Total 586,913 598,747 661,323 868,316 926,557 |
|
The figures above indicate that reinstatement expenditure has grown year on year over this period and has increased 62% since 1998/99. Some of the additional expenditure over the last two years has been as a result of the new engineering term contracts identifying vandalism more rigorously (eg damaged lights, damaged sockets and other engineering fittings) and coding the remedial work to reinstatement rather than maintenance. |
|
|
2.2 |
In addition, the composite rate of inflation over the last 3 years for repairs and maintenance is 26%. Notwithstanding this, the current trend is an increase in vandalism and hence reinstatement expenditure. This represents a significant opportunity cost to the County Council. The figures quoted in para 2.1 represent Policy and Resources expenditure but do not include fire reinstatement costs resulting from arson or vandalism reinstatement costs met locally. |
|
|
2.3 |
Although vandalism occurs across the whole estate, schools are the usual target for vandalism and account for approximately 89% of vandalism reinstatement expenditure over the last 3 years. There are a number of `social' reasons why this is the case. Most perpetrators are youths and their experience of society and the establishment is generally confined to schools and therefore become a natural target for negative feelings. Schools tend to be located at the centre of a local community, either as part of an estate or village. |
|
|
2.4 |
In addition, the installation of monitored CCTV in a number of city centres and precincts has made them less attractive as a meeting place. School sites provide an alternative even with CCTV protecting the buildings, large open areas and play equipment are areas where youths generally congregate. |
|
|
3 |
Current Preventative Measures in Place |
|
|
3.1 3.2 3.3 |
In considering what measures should be taken to reduce vandalism, it is important to understand the cause and the use of the site and local social issues. A partnership approach involving the school, police and the County Council has been developed to identify appropriate measures. Expenditure on preventing vandalism has increased over the last 3 years from £69,967 in 2001/02 to £143,585 in 2002/03. This is still a relatively small amount when considering the total cost of vandalism reinstatement, the cost of remedial measures and the number of sites affected. Measures taken to prevent vandalism undertaken at Hampshire school sites over the last five years are detailed below. |
|
|
3.3.1 |
Security Patrols |
3.3.2 3.3.3 3.3.4 |
Security patrols offer protection when schools are most vulnerable, for example during holidays, but costs can be prohibitive. Over the last few years, mobile patrols have been employed during holiday periods in the Havant, Gosport and Fareham areas on a jointly funded basis with schools. These have generally been well received and, whilst they do not eradicate vandalism, they offer peace of mind to users and have reduced the number of incidents. In 2002/03 the opportunity to buy into mobile patrols was offered to all schools with 104 taking this up on a jointly funded basis between Policy and Resources and the schools. The patrols were spread across three contractors covering specific geographical areas and produced regular (but not nightly) weekend and evening visits for the year at a total cost of £83,295. This service has been offered again in 2003/04 with some amendment to reflect customer feedback. Take-up has been consistent (104 of 429 schools) with costs remaining at a similar level and split 50/50 between Policy & Resources and schools. Feedback to date has been positive. The possibility of developing a longer term contract covering other properties is currently being explored. Evidence has shown that the presence of patrols does have an impact on vandalism and importance is placed on maintaining financial support. |
|
|
3.4 |
CCTV |
3.4.1 3.4.2 |
Closed circuit television (CCTV) has been installed at around 60 sites and has had mixed success in terms of reducing vandalism over the long term. Normally, there is an immediate effect in terms of reducing incidents, but these can increase, particularly if it becomes known locally that no action is taken against vandals. The quality of images is a problem, particularly with older basic installations and schools do need to manage the system proactively. To maximise the effect of CCTV, systems would ideally be linked to a monitoring station but this would be a school revenue funded cost and the costs can be prohibitive within the schools' current financial framework. Typical costs are £1,000 per annum plus the capital cost of the CCTV equipment, which can range from £5,000 to £12,000 for a primary school, rising to £50,000 for a large secondary school. Significant additional capital investment would be required to extend CCTV across the whole education estate. Where images allow vandals to be identified, there sometimes difficulties in pursuing a prosecution for the police and the landlord, and advice is currently being sought on pursuing civil prosecutions. |
|
|
3.5 |
External and Boundary Improvements |
3.5.1 |
Clearly defined boundaries with secure fencing can play an important part in reducing unauthorised access and associated damage. The Case Study at Appendix 1 highlights the improvements made to boundary fencing at Riders Infant and Junior Schools in Leigh Park and the associated impact on vandalism reinstatement expenditure. In some situations it is not possible to secure all boundaries due to the layout of the site. In other cases it may not be appropriate to do so where the school is an integral part of the community and its use is encouraged. A number of sites have footpaths and rights of way which need to be maintained and it is not always possible to separate the school buildings and playgrounds. Active management of the site and the involvement of users can help to reduce incidents of vandalism in this situation. |
|
|
3.6 |
Other Measures |
|
A range of measures, either stand alone or in addition to the above, are used to deal with site specific situations including security, lighting, anti-climb applications to deter access to roofs, and replacing more vulnerable elements of buildings with more durable material. |
|
|
4 |
Quality in Design and Maintenance and Changing Attitudes |
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 |
Potential vandalism is considered when designing new buildings and refurbishing existing areas and can help to reduce incidents of vandalism. For example, reducing easy access points to low roofs and consulting the local Crime Reduction Office at an early stage on capital schemes to address locally known crime and vandalism issues. The support and co-operation of the police is vital in any strategy to prevent vandalism. A close working relationship has been developed between the police and property services, concentrating initially on the Havant/ Waterlooville and Basingstoke areas. A visible presence is a strong deterrent and local beat officers can have a huge impact on vandalism. This has been particularly effective in the Hatch Warren area of Basingstoke where the beat officer has been patrolling school sites following incidents at Easter, talking to youths and involving their parents and local alcohol retail outlets. Unfortunately, that officer has recently moved on and in the last month there has been an increase of incidents in that area. The police have been proactively reviewing the problems in Havant and Waterlooville. Initial views are that there is a need for improved security on school sites and more visible policing and the opportunities for additional resources are currently being considered. This type of partnership working is in its early stages but it is hoped will bring benefits in the longer term. A positive attitude by young people towards the County Council's building can also have an impact on reducing vandalism. This has been demonstrated at Warren Park Primary School, Leigh Park as detailed in the Case Study at Appendix 2. The County Council is also working in partnership with other agencies to encourage young people to have a positive attitude towards sites and buildings. Some schools operate a `School Watch' with neighbours and this type of approach, along with the community use approach taken by Warren Park Primary, are worthy of further investigation. |
5. |
Conclusion |
5.1 |
The cost of vandalism reinstatement has increased over recent years and measures to prevent vandalism have been positively embraced, involving partner organisations where appropriate. It will be important to maintain resources and investment to ensure that preventative measures continue to be identified and actioned. There looks to be no single strategy that is totally effective. The importance of having a resourced strategy over the coming years and the positive support of the police are essential ingredients. |
|
|
Recommendation |
|
|
That the Buildings Land and Contracts Panel advise the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that: 1. The development of initiatives to positively discourage and prevent vandalism particularly in areas with high priority sites be approved
2. The further development of partnership working with the police, local groups, schools and communities to identify and address vandalism issues be approved.
|
Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers
The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.
NB the list excludes:
1 Published works
2 Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act
........................
........................
BLCP1003E Ref/Initials/21-Oct-03
Vandalism Prevention Appendix 1
Case Study 1
Riders Infant and Junior Schools - A secure site
Riders Infant and Junior Schools are on a shared site on the Leigh Park Estate adjoining social housing and a recreation ground.
Vandalism escalated approximately 4-5 years ago with vandalism expenditure for reinstatement works of £30,000 across the two schools in 2001/02.
The boundaries comprised 6 ft chain link in poor condition and the open air swimming pool on site was a magnet for unauthorised use. The site was also an attractive `cut through' between two roads.
A meeting was held with School personnel and the local police, who advised that policing the site was difficult due to its poor boundary fencing and general lack of security. The site had a rudimentary CCTV system which was not acting as a deterrent.
It was agreed to use preventative vandalism funds to provide metal railings instead of chain link fencing to provide a secure but not unwelcoming boundary. This was installed in summer 2001 followed by decommissioning and infilling of the swimming pool in 2002. The latter was a joint scheme with P&R funding the demolition costs and the school funding subsequent landscaping. An adjoining playground was also resurfaced creating an enhanced external environment.
The results in terms of reducing P&R reinstatement costs have proved significant as can be seen by the figures below, with the Capital Investment resulting in corresponding revenue savings and the benefit to the school of much less disruption and distress.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riders Infant and Junior School - Vandalism Reinstatement Costs |
1998/99 |
1999/2000 |
2000/2001 |
2001/2002 |
2002/2003 |
2003/2004 |
13,399 |
24,393 |
30,437 |
7,690 |
2,088 |
641 (1 order) |
Vandalism Prevention Appendix 2
Case Study 2
Warren Park Primary - A Community Approach
Warren Park Primary School is located in Leigh Park and is one of the most deprived wards in the south.
In 1998 Warren Park Primary had the highest vandalism reinstatement costs for a primary school that year (£8,763). The site was extensive, surrounded by social housing with a large boundary comprising 6 ft chain link fencing and rough paths, providing numerous `rights of way' for local people.
The school adopted a change of policy and introduced measures to encourage people onto the site to walk and use it rather than vandalise it. The number of footpaths on the site was reduced to three. These were properly surfaced with sponsorship funding from industry to encourage their use. The next step was to consider facilities on the site for out of hours use by older children and consultation with them led to the installation of basketball posts and football goals. No charge is made and the facilities are considered a valued community facility.
The school works and liaises very closely with users, encouraging `ownership' of the site. This, combined with the use of CCTV and coppicing the numerous trees on site to aide visibility has provided a significant payback. Warren Park now suffers very little vandalism considering its location and the extensive use of the site. Most vandalism is broken windows from stray balls rather than malicious damage. The table below illustrates the reducing costs to Policy and Resources.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warren Park Primary - P&R Vandalism Reinstatement Expenditure |
1998/1999 |
1999/2000 |
2000/2001 |
2001/2002 |
2002/2003 |
2003/2004 |
8,763 |
2,190 |
1,329 |
1,897 |
398 |
0 |
This scenario may not work for all sites but does demonstrate that taking a positive view in tackling the root of the problem can reduce vandalism.
The approach here is very much at the initiative of the Head Teacher and to expand to other sites will require training and support across County Council departments.
