VANDALISM AND PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

1 The cost to the County Council of vandalism continues to rise. In 1998/99 a total of £486,007 was spent on vandalism reinstatement and a further £100,906 on vandalism prevention. These figures have continued to increase year on year giving totals in 2002/03 of £780,972 and £145,585 respectively.

2 Although vandalism occurs across the whole estate, schools are the usual target and have accounted 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 which therefore become a natural focus for negative feelings. Schools also tend to be located in the middle of the community and housing estates and are therefore an easy target.

3 A partnership approach involving the school, police and the County Council has been developed to identify appropriate measures to reduce vandalism. Expenditure on preventing the problem 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.

4 Measures taken at Hampshire school sites over the last five years are as detailed below.

(i) Security Patrols - These 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.


(ii) CCTV - Closed circuit television has been installed at around 60 sites and has had mixed success in terms of reducing vandalism over the longer 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.


(iii) External and Boundary Improvements - Clearly defined boundaries with secure fencing can play an important part in reducing unauthorised access and associated damage. 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.


(iv) Other measures - A range of other 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 vulnerable elements of buildings with more durable materials.

5 Potential vandalism is considered when designing new buildings and refurbishing existing areas and can help to reduce incidents of vandalism. The support and co-operation of the police is vital in any strategy. A close working relationship is being 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 reducing vandalism. A positive attitude by young people towards the County Council's buildings can also have an impact on reducing vandalism. Also, some schools operate a "School Watch" with neighbours and this type of approach, along with the community use approach is felt worthy of further investigation.

6 The Buildings, Land and Contracts Panel and the Leader have reviewed the pattern and costs of vandalism across the County Council's estate and the Leader has approved the continuing development of those initiatives mentioned in this report so as to positively discourage and prevent vandalism and to encourage and promote partnership working with the police, local groups, schools and communities to identify and address vandalism issues.