The rising cases of vandalism continues to be a great concern to the nation and if unchecked it might create bigger problems.
Vandalism is considered a thoughtless behaviour toward the environment, resulting from the destruction and damage of public and private property.
Environmental crime has found its way to the parks, and other recreational facilities.
The destruction of public properties, however, remains the most prevalent form of vandalism.
Vandals can be senselessly destructive in terms of property defacement such as writing, painting and drawing pictures on buildings.
Wanton destruction classified as windows breaking, damaging parts of buildings and equipment signals the vandal’s hostility and resentment toward the environment.
This crime has been intensified by various characteristics of the neighbourhood, such as social-economic status, and psychological factors that greatly influence the perpetrators of vandalism who operate as an organised group.
The upshot of vandalism is inconvenient, irritating and in extreme cases life-threatening.
The effects are noticeable when newly developed infrastructures are disregarded through the destruction of the aesthetic or physical form of the environment.
Kenyans must be encouraged to report crimes more frequently for reasons other than obtaining a case number for insurance claims.
Measures should be taken to improve surveillance to help protect property from vandals.
The open spaces should be fenced. Open spaces which are not managed and maintained correctly and are not demarcated by boundaries create an impression that the area is not owned, hence, vulnerable.
Limiting access to the open spaces would encourage the pedestrian traffic to be diverted and not use the open space as a travelling route. This would limit the number of people using the open spaces and increase the number of people using the roads, ultimately improving the surveillance of the roads.
Damage caused by vandalism should be promptly repaired.
The timely repair would improve the residents' sense of responsibility to the area.
The image of the area would improve and an impression that the area is cared for would begin to develop.
The residential areas should be zoned and demarcated through the incorporation of fences, walls and hedges.
Creating an image that specific areas are zoned will encourage residential responsibility for the zoned area, increase the sense of belonging and ownership and encourage residents to recognise strangers in the area.
Street lighting to ultimately enhance the surveillance levels of the residents in the area should be improved.
Vandalism should be treated as economic sabotage with would-be offenders ready to face heavy penalties.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
