Pupils in poster campaign to beat vandals

As part of the high-profile campaign to target vandals who destroy parks and property across the borough, the Daily Echo is launching a poster competition to promote the anti-vandal message.

Pupils at schools across the borough have been invited to come up with a poster design that will spearhead the campaign.

The poster will be put up at newsagents, community centres and other public places across the borough in an effort to spread the anti-vandalism message.

Already schools have pledged their support to the crackdown that was launched earlier this month.

Stella Muirheard, headteacher of Heathfield school, which has itself been targeted by vandals, said: "Learning how to care for the environment is a very important part of the curriculum.

"The play equipment at Heathfield has been vandalised several times so this issue is very important to the children.

"Designing these posters is a means for them to communicate a message about this to other children."

The poster campaign has also been backed by Fareham police.

Superintendent Graham Haycock said: "I think launching this poster campaign in schools is an excellent idea. Of the arrests we have made over the last 12 months for damage to cars and pushing over walls, all have been under the age of 18.

"This is the sort of age group we need to address. We need to get the message through that it is their own environment that they are damaging. They have got to live with it too.

"We are trying to build skateparks in Fareham but it is the vandals who are spoiling it for the other youngsters who want to use this sort of equipment."

Supt Haycock revealed that over the last year 3,057 criminal damage incidents were reported in Fareham compared with 1,800 in neighbouring Gosport.

He added: "As part of the taskforce we have already set up surveillance cameras at known hot spots so the message is if you are committing this damage then expect a knock on your door. Just don't do it."