'Dob in' call as vandalism costs mount

The Far North District Council is appealing to the community to "dob in" offenders and report any acts of vandalism to the council or the NZ Police in a bid to bring an epidemic of wanton damage to public property under control.

Repairing public property as a result of vandalism and theft is conservatively now costing ratepayers in excess of $300,000 a year.

"This is money we don't have available to develop new facilities for the community because it is needlessly being spent repairing the damage caused by a brainless minority," Far North Mayor Wayne Brown said today.

"Graffiti attacks on public toilet facilities are costing around $5000 a month, without taking into account the cost of repairing toilets systems as a result of other forms of deliberate damage. Excluding graffiti, we spent $12,000 in January and February alone cleaning up and making repairs to public toilets as a result of a mind-boggling array of acts of vandalism and theft," he said.

"The theft of and vandalism to road signs is costing on average another $150,000 and $200,000 a year.

"This is a totally unacceptable situation. We are doing all we can to make these public facilities more and more secure, but this comes at a cost as well. I would appeal to the community to come forward with any information which will assist in bringing those responsible to account.

"At least this way there is a chance of recovering some of the costs from those responsible for the damage, rather than it remaining a charge on the general ratepayer," he said.

Mr Brown said the vandalism and damage frequently came as a result of disgusting, almost unbelievable acts of stupidity, ranging from smashing light fittings, to stealing soap and toilet dispensers, breaking skylights and windows, kicking holes in walls and doors, setting fire to sanitary bins, splashing menstrual blood and human excrement over walls, stuffing cans, bottles and disposal nappies down toilet cisterns and even arson.

"Nothing seems to be safe even if it's bolted down –pumping systems, seats, ballcocks and even whole toilet cisterns and hand-basins have been known to disappear," he said.

"There was an incident at Taipa recently in which dozens of beer bottles were deliberately smashed around a new picnic table installed by the community at a local reserve resulting in a massive clean-up before children and families could use the area in safety again," he said.

One of the disappointing aspects was that there appeared to be a clear connection between acts of vandalism, graffiti attacks and school holiday periods.

"While a little more parental supervision wouldn't go astray, it's not just kids that are involved. A lot of the damage, and the thefts, are clearly the acts of people who should know better. The sooner we can bring some of these people to account the better.

"Maybe it's time to bring back the stocks so we can identify the culprits and throw rubbish at them like they used to before the courts were taken over by the PC brigade," he said.

Calls providing information or reporting incidents could be made in confidence to the NZ Police or directly to the council on 0800 920 029.