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What is vandalism?

Vandalism is any deliberate damage done to someone else’s property.

Examples include:

• painting graffiti
• dumping rubbish
• setting small fires
• smashing windows
• damaging buildings or other structures
• scratching car paint
  

The effects of vandalism

Vandalism can hurt people’s quality of life because it damages or destroys things that they need or care about.

It also:

• makes people feel that their lives are less safe than they really are
• can be dangerous – people have died when acts of vandalism went too far, or got out of control
• costs you money – you pay for vandalism repair through higher taxes and insurance payments

Reporting vandalism

If you notice that property has been vandalised, you should contact your local council to report it.

If you see someone in the act of vandalising property, you should contact your local police force or your local neighbourhood policing team.

If you’re on public transportation and you see somebody vandalising your bus or train, call the train company and let them know. You can also call the Transport Police if you’re in a major city, such as London.

If you think that what you’ve seen could be dangerous (such as someone setting fires), or you feel personally threatened, please call 999.

• Find a police force, neighbourhood policing team or police authority

Punishments for vandalism

The punishment given to vandals depends on how seriously they’ve damaged property.

Most vandalism offences are fairly minor, and those are usually dealt with by a Magistrates’ Court. The penalty will depend on how much damage there was, how much it cost to repair and how much trouble it caused.

If the value of the damage is more than £5,000, the maximum penalty is six months in jail and a £5,000 fine. If the damage is less than £5,000, the maximum penalty is three months in jail or a fine of £2,500.

Police and local authorities can also decide to issue vandals with penalty notices. For children under 16 years old, this results in on-the-spot fines of £50. For those 16 and over it results in an £80 fine.

More serious acts of vandalism that damage or threaten lives can result in substantial sentences. The maximum sentence for someone who has set arson fires that threatened the life of another person is life in prison.

• Anti-social behaviour

More useful links

• Getting graffiti and flyposters removed

• Bonfires and the law

• Fly-tipping - what you can do