Vandalism is one of the biggest challenges faced by public works officials, but how are you managing this risk in your public spaces and parks? Discover our top tips here.
Public spaces and parks are rarely out of use meaning that when crime takes place such as vandalism, it can cause a ripple effect on the community and functioning of the local area.
We explore the specific risk presented by vandalism and share everything you need to know as a public works official on preventing your area from falling victim to this.
What is Vandalism?
Vandalism is a criminal act whereby an individual is involved in the deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
Examples of vandalism public spaces and parks could be faced with are as follows:
- Damaged public property like park benches, bins, and greenery
- Graffiti of public spaces, most commonly walls
- Sign vandalization, covering the damage or defacement of public signs
- Theft of public property
Vandalism can be a costly crime to Government agencies, from repairing or replacing the damaged property to cleaning walls of graffiti, it all costs money.
The Real Cost of Vandalism in Public Spaces and Parks
Although the financial consequences are commonly known amongst public works officials, the knock-on effects go much deeper:
- Loss of public funding as resources could be diverted elsewhere
- Reduced investment as repeated vandalism could prevent interest in funding
- Decreased property value for any nearby buildings and properties
- Loss of community due to concerns on safety
- Reduced quality of life for any residents impacted by the vandalism
- Stop usage of parks or furnishings within public spaces
- Environmental damage caused by vandalism towards any greenery including damage and poisoning
- Increased presence of anti-social behavior
The financial impact of vandalism is just the tip of the iceberg for public works officials, with many public spaces and parks providing a sense of community to those in the area.
As your responsibility is to manage and maintain these spaces, it’s vital that you work to prevent this from happening to your area and the residents and visitors who utilize it.
Why Are Public Spaces and Parks Popular Targets for Vandalism?
Although you may assume that public spaces and parks are not easy targets due to them being open to the public and often facing increased traffic, there are still many risks to them regarding vandalism.
Their open access actually tends to work against them as it means any individual has complete access to that space. This makes vandalism so much easier, especially if there is not sufficient monitoring in place.
Additionally for some, public spaces and parks are appealing because vandalism can cause more disruption than if it occurs on private property which is what their main aim may be.
There are many available targets in public spaces and parks for vandalism, particularly walls where large graffiti can take place. This provides criminals with increased opportunities that private property just cannot offer.
But, how can you work to prevent this?
Everything you Need to Know as a Public Works Officials to Prevent Vandalism
As public works officials you hold a responsibility to your Governmental agency or department to manage and maintain public infrastructure and services.
Part of this is to prevent vandalism and there are 7 ways you can do this:
Install Surveillance Cameras
As public works officials, your role expands across various areas including roads, public spaces, parks, water systems, and waste management, meaning your eyes cannot be everywhere at once.
That’s where mobile surveillance units come in, offering 24/7 monitoring to support you in those moments where you may not be present.
With our Solar Surveillance Trailers, they work as a virtual security guard, utilizing a remote monitoring service to help detect, deter, and dispatch relevant personnel including Law Enforcement when necessary.
Standing at 20 ft tall, they also provide criminal deterrence as it clearly states to all individuals that the area is under surveillance, presenting it as a more difficult target to any criminals.
We also understand the need for flexibility with protecting public spaces, therefore our Trailers have specifically been designed to be easily relocatable by yourselves.
This allows them to be transitioned to different areas, for example, a blind spot or area facing high crime.
Implement Signage Around the Local Area
One method of prevention is to implement signage around the local area.
Signage can be used to communicate various information, from providing warnings and informing individuals of the legal ramifications of vandalism to encouraging positive behaviour and information on how to report crimes.
The best method is to have multiple signs that communicate your key messages, ensuring that the main public spaces and parks have signage of all types to provide optimal prevention against vandalism.
For criminals reading this, it can help to deter crime and discourage them from engaging in illegal activity.
Add Lighting
Crime can come alive at night as darkness provides a sense of security for criminals.
Evenings lower the risk of revealed identity or capture due to reduced visibility and human presence.
To manage this risk, implementing security lighting around your local area will increase visibility and work to mitigate vandalism by removing those opportunities from criminals.
Doing this can also help witnesses to identify individuals involved in such crime which will benefit Law Enforcement
Consider the positioning of lighting carefully to ensure that all areas have sufficient coverage and that there are little to no blindspots left for criminals to take advantage of.
Use Durable Furnishings for Public Spaces
Park benches, tables, bins, and signage are all common targets for vandalism as they can often be easily damaged or stolen.
Ensuring you have durable furnishings within any public spaces and parks will help to prevent issues like this as it will make them more difficult to damage or steal.
There are various furnishings available which offer graffiti-resistance and that can withstand harsh weather and treatment, increasing their protection from any vandalism.
Ensure Vandalism is Repaired or Replaced Quickly
The cost of resolving any vandalism can be expensive, however, to prevent further damage, you should always aim to respond quickly to it.
Leaving vandalism on display in public spaces and parks only exposes it to further risks.
Criminals look for easy opportunities they can take advantage of and signs of undealt with vandalism will increase the chances criminals will target your public space or park.
Therefore, the quicker the resolution to vandalism, the better.
Utilize Anti-Graffiti Coating on Walls
For public spaces, it is quite common for walls to be vandalized by graffiti.
The cleaning of this can be time consuming and costly depending on the size and location of the graffiti. Therefore, any measures that can be implemented to protect your public spaces and parks against this helps to prevent these associated costs.
For park structures, you can use anti-graffiti coatings that make the cleaning process easier if graffiti occurs, reducing time and cost spent resolving this.
Also, if criminals learn that graffiti can be cleared quickly, it could help to prevent recurring attacks.
Engage With the Community
Community engagement can be extremely beneficial in protecting public spaces and parks as they will often have a connection to them or use them on a regular basis.
This will lead them to care about the state in which they are kept in as poorly managed spaces will be unappealing and potentially carry increased dangers that members of the community may not wish to expose themselves to.
Encouraging community stewardships, clean-up projects, and improvement events/fundraisers, all help to involve the local residents in maintaining spaces and their safety.
It also shows that their involvement plays a role in your response to such issues, displaying that their voices are heard in this.
Protect Your Public Spaces by Securing Them With WCCTV
We understand the importance public spaces and parks bring to communities and in maintaining the everyday functions they provide to residents and visitors.
Vandalism can be catastrophic to this, creating both short and long-term impact that can be extremely difficult to recover from.
With our Solar Surveillance Trailers, you can have a fully flexible, adaptable security solution that can be suited to your surveillance needs.
Their complete power autonomy and cellular connectivity ensure that public spaces and parks in even the most remote locations can receive a high-quality security service that can protect against vandalism and other security challenges they are faced with.
Speak with one of WCCTV’s security experts today to find out how we can support you!
