News Release
Criminal damage - a crime of opportunity
Dated: 04 Oct 2007
By following these simple steps you will help reduce the likelihood of your car or home being damaged by this opportunistic crime and falling foul of anti-social behaviour:
• take in your bins when empty, never leave on the street overnight
• if you can, park your car off the street and out of sight in a garage
• never leave bricks or heavy objects on the ground close to a window.
Protect your property and remove the opportunity for the lawbreakers.
For further crime prevention advice or to tell us about criminal damage in your neighbourhood, call 08456 043 043.
Together we can combat crime
Northumbria Police is urging the public to join the force in the fight against criminal damage.
Starting next week the force begins its 'Together we can combat crime' campaign targeting the often opportunist crime of criminal damage, anything from smashing a window to scratching a car and setting a wheelie bin on fire.
As well as reducing the number of crimes, which cost the region hundreds of thousands of pounds each year, the force also aims to increase the number of detections and reduce the fear of crime.
Adverts for 'Together we can combat crime' began yesterday on local radio stations, with the campaign running for eight weeks until the beginning of June.
Northumbria's Chief Constable Mike Craik said: " To some people scratching a car, breaking a window or setting a wheelie bin on fire will be considered 'just a bit of a laugh'.
" But I'm here to tell them that it is no joke. Total policing is all about tackling crime and disorder at all levels and this includes criminal damage.
" It's a crime which often not only affects the person who is the victim - the person whose car is damaged, whose window is broken, whose garage door is sprayed with graffiti - but also the wider community.
" This damage is caused by a small minority of people, but their actions cause a disproportionate level of fear of crime in neighbourhoods as their anti-social actions are usually there for everyone to see.
" We hope local communities will join with us in this campaign, sharing information and helping us to help them not to become targets of these opportunist criminals."
Criminal damage is a crime and people can end up with a criminal record, it could even land the person responsible with a prison sentence.