A NEW campaign has been launched to tackle criminal damage in the island. Set up by the Crime Prevention Panel, Respect Guernsey seeks to discourage people from committing offences such as graffiti and vandalism, which now account for 30% of all crime in the island.
‘Criminal damage is the bane of the community. It’s anti-social, inconvenient and people incur an unnecessary cost,’ said police chief George Le Page. ‘The campaign is about raising awareness and taking responsibility for our own actions and asking: ﾓWhat impact do my actions have on other people and do they cause harm and distress?ﾔ
‘It’s about respecting the community and respecting other people’s property.’
The campaign was conceived three years ago and with the help of businesses and the Guernsey Press has finally come to fruition.
The newspaper’s editor, Richard Digard, said backing the campaign was a natural extension of the successful Shop a Yob initiative launched by the Press.
Posters and leaflets which contain facts and figures on criminal damage will be put up in public places and schools.
Police liaison officers will also talk to pupils about it and it will be discussed in assemblies.
Crime prevention officer Bernie English said it was important to instil a sense of pride and respect in people in order to combat the problem, which accounts for tens of thousands of pounds’-worth of damage every year.
‘We’ve all got to have respect for our island and it’s up to
people to take responsibility for it. The word respect has been used an awful lot in the UK and it has a different meaning to every generation, but what we are trying to do is make people aware that actions affect us all.’
Crime Prevention Panel chairman Paul Litten said the campaign will be a long-term project. It is hoping to produce a calendar for next year which will be designed by children.
Although the campaign is not specifically aimed at youngsters, he said it was important to sow the seed of basic respect from an early age.
The campaign was launched at Les Beaucamps School and head teacher Peter Le Cheminant said he and colleagues at all schools were concerned about the issue.
‘Obviously the key thing to remember is that not all criminal damage is committed by young people - there are about 1,000 reported offences every year - but some of it is unfortunately. It’s an attempt to educate young people to respect their environment.’
Article posted on 23rd January, 2008 - 12.00am
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