Vandalism

The common image of vandalism may be someone smashing windows in an abandoned building or battering a bus shelter late at night, but the reality is that vandalism is something that affects us all because it covers a huge range of activities that basically spoil and destroy the environment in which we live. Vandalism is:

• Wrecking and damaging park equipment and public gardens
• Ruining public transport and public property - that’s scratching a bus window, putting graffiti on a bus shelter or smashing up a telephone box
• Placing obstacles on train lines, or leaving broken bottles around in a park
• Breaking and damaging private property such as car windows or fences, or scratching a car with keys

Graffiti and tags

It may seem like nothing much if you’ve never had something personal to you damaged, but vandalism is a huge is a problem for a variety of reasons. For a start, this type behaviour can be contagious, which means the more an area is vandalised, the more people will abuse it.

Vandalism can also gives the impression that an area is unmanaged and out of control: seeing an area treated with disrespect makes everyone feel uneasy when they are out and about because it sends out the message that this is an area that no one cares about.

What can I do about it?

The answer is not to sit back but to do something about it! It may not be easy to see the potential of a place when you’re surrounded by destruction, but small changes and simple improvements can help turn a battered area into a place that everyone can enjoy.

This doesn’t mean going on a one-person fix-it campaign, but stopping and looking at your own behaviour and that of your friends and thinking about whether you’re adding to the problem or helping to change things. Mindless damage is just that: damage done without thinking, and it’s the type of vandalism that gets people down.

By comparison, cleaning up an area not only improves community morale and makes people feel more positive about where they live, but also discourages vandalism from happening again.

To help improve your local area – and a place that’s important to you – enter the Scotland In Focus competition, and win a grant to restore your favourite area and help change where you live for the better.