Criminal damage: frequently asked questions
Deterrents and detection
How do I deter people from committing criminal damage?
Are there any practical ways I can reduce the opportunity for criminal damage?
Can conditional caution be used for cases of criminal damage?
Are mosquito units an effective deterrent?
How do I deter people from committing criminal damage?
- Offenders underestimate the cost of criminal damage. The estimated average cost to an individual who has been a victim of criminal damage is thought to be approximately £850 (The Economic and Social Costs of Crime against Individuals and Households (Home Office On-Line Report 30/05) - this includes an estimated cost of emotional impact). The 2005 Offending Crime and Justice Survey (OCJS) found that most (80%) offenders estimated the value of damage to be under £50. Making the perpetrators aware of the financial and other impact on victims may have some effect.
- Convicted offenders will have a criminal record and this will have consequences for employment and limit opportunities for travel abroad. Offenders may also be fined or given ASBOs. The maximum sentence for criminal damage is life. Communicating these consequences may help to deter people from committing criminal damage.
- Increasing the fear of apprehension may act as a deterrent. For example, covert surveillance and ‘name that tag' initiatives. The threat of taking DNA evidence can be a deterrent. In Northumbria, police used timed campaigns to alert potential offenders that DNA will be taken for offences such as criminal damage during their ‘What's the Damage' programme. This highlights that the same investigation strategies will be used to tackle all crime types.
Are there any practical ways I can reduce the opportunity for committing criminal damage?
- Problems of vandalism can be exacerbated by the very nature of our surroundings; vandalism thrives in areas that lack people and visibility. If public spaces are designed to allow maximum visibility and promote utilisation by law-abiding members of the public, then crime and anti-social behaviour is less likely to occur than in areas that are secluded and rarely used. Similarly, if areas are allowed to run down and appear poorly maintained, then damage is more likely than it is in areas that are clearly looked after.
- Safer Places: The Planning System and Crime Prevention provides detailed advice on how crime and disorder can be tackled through good planning.
- Anecdotal evidence suggests that a huge amount of vandalism involves the use of builder's material or rubble along roads and streets. In areas where there is a large amount of regeneration, demolition and building, look into the Considerate Constructor Scheme. This ties the building contractor into an agreement ensuring that surrounding areas are free from potential missiles and well maintained.
- See the good practice guide for more information on environmental approaches to tackling vandalism.
Does CCTV work?
- CCTV will work best when it is part of an integrated approach to tackling criminal damage and there is a clear objective for the use of CCTV. When intelligence and hotspot analysis is shared with operators it can be an effective tool for detection.
- In Dartford images of offenders captured from CCTV have been used to post on bus stops and shelters in the area. This acts as a powerful deterrent to future offending, as well as a means of identifying the offenders.
- Another example of CCTV as part of an integrated approach is to have mobile, lamp-post mounted units, that can be deployed at locations and times of day identified by analysis as most likely for offending.
- In West Yorkshire, and now many other areas, CCTV cameras are sited in bus shelters. Since the cameras have been fitted, there has been a significant reduction in shelter damage
- For a review of the impact of CCTV see: Crime Prevention Effects of CCTV - A Systematic Review (2002) and, Assessing the Impact of CCTV (2005) .
Are Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) authorities required when positioning cameras to identify those who commit criminal damage?
- RIPA is for authorised directed covert surveillance. For an existing overt system, no authority is required. However, where CCTV is in operation, Data Protection Act principles should be applied and notices should be placed in the area of operation with the reason why CCTV is being used and details of the scheme operators.
What is Government policy about using public funds to offer rewards for information leading to the conviction of offenders?
- There are a number of successful schemes offering rewards for information. The London Borough of Southwark is running a ‘Stop Them and Shop Them' campaign in tagging hotspot areas, offering a reward for any information that leads to the prosecution of persistent ‘taggers'. Since the campaign started in 2004 Southwark Council has seen a 35% decrease in reported graffiti in the borough.
- Crimestoppers offers rewards of up to £1000 for information leading to the arrest and charge of offenders.
- When using public funds as a reward for information, decisions should be made locally according to local priorities and needs, and taking account of police advice.
Can conditional cautions be used for cases of criminal damage?
- Yes, and they frequently are. Conditional cautioning is one mechanism by which offenders can make reparation for their actions through community work. The conditional caution was introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 as an out-of-court disposal available for adults who are willing to admit their guilt for 'low-level' offences. Conditional cautions are an alternative to court appearances, rather than alternatives to simple police cautions. Every police area across England and Wales, except one, now has conditional cautioning operating in at least one Basic Command Unit. It is anticipated that all areas will be fully live by April 2008.
- Conditional cautions are decided by the Crown Prosecution Service and aim to address the offender's behaviour or ensure they make good the harm they caused to the victim or wider community. The offender accepts the conditional caution as an alternative to going to court. Conditions that have been given include making compensation, apologising to the victim, attending an alcohol intervention session, and restrictions from entering a premises or area.
- Offences of malicious or criminal damage account for around half of the cases for which conditional cautions have so far been issued, and in nearly two thirds of those administered since April 2006 there has been a condition to pay compensation to the victim. Although details on the amount of compensation awarded to victims is not collected centrally, from a total of 92 conditional cautions issued to July 2007 by Dorset, over £15,000 has been awarded to victims. A leaflet produced by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform indicates that in Lancashire, of 471 conditional cautions 57% have been issued for criminal damage. In 73% of all cases the condition has been to pay compensation to the victim. To date £31,362 has been paid to victims through the scheme.
- From January to December 2007 conditional caution reparative work pilots are taking place in seven areas of England and Wales.
Are mosquito units an effective deterrent?
- The Mosquito is a device that emits a high frequency sound that its manufacturers claim can only be heard by young people under the age of around 20. These and similar devices have been installed by Police and Local Authorities outside shops as a means of dispersing young people.
- Any such device should be treated with caution and if used should form part of an overall strategy to tackle the drivers of that crime/ anti-social behaviour.
- It is for local agencies to decide on the most appropriate interventions based on their knowledge of what works best locally. Local agencies should consult with neighbourhoods and businesses before installing such a device. Diversionary activities for young people might also be considered.
- The Home Office does not promote or recommend any particular commercial product or venture.
Last update: Monday, April 14, 2008