Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Vandalism concerns
Only 25% of culprits are caught by police force
ONLY a quarter of yobs who cause destruction across Dundee through vandalism are caught by police, new figures reveal.
Community leaders today raised concern that the force has j ust over a 25% success rate of catching vandals.
There have been 8,585 incidents of vandalism since January 2012.
However, police have detected the culprit on just 2,139 occasions.
Last year alone, there were 1,661 incidents of vandalism in Dundee but only 429 were found responsible.
One of the city’s worst areas for vandalism was Strathmartine, with 307 incidents recorded.
Stewart Hunter, councillor for Strathmartine, said he was surprised by the figures, but said the community was doing great work to try to stop the destruction.
He added: “I am always very disappointed by figures like that.
“I don’t really know why it’s such a problem in this ward though.
“We have a few parks and I wonder if that might have an impact — particularly as youths do hang out in the parks.
“But there’s some great communities in the area that really work together. Despite that, a 25% result in finding the culprits is very worrying and something I will be looking into.
“I do not think it can be blamed on just youths though.
“I am confident that the police are doing everything they possibly can.
“I’m very supportive of their hard work but clearly we need more to be happening.
“Perhaps this will require a change in approach, I don’t know, but it’s something we need to keep on top of.”
Depute convener of the community safety and public protection committee, Kevin Cordell, said: “The city council works closely with Police Scotland and other partners across the city to reduce crime and vandalism.
“Vandalism is an antisocial act that blights communities but when I hear of examples such as tyre slashing and throwing stones at buses, then those are criminal acts with the potential for very serious outcomes and simply cannot be tolerated.
“We are all committed to ensuring that the city is a safe place to live for its residents and that people can enjoy their local neighbourhoods.”