DEAR News Of The Area,

WE have seen various items in News Of The Area raising the problem of vandalism in and around Nambucca Heads.

The Mayor has recently reported that vandalism in the Nambucca Valley costs the ratepayer in the region of $50,000 annually.

It could be useful at this point to ask the fundamental question: why do vandals engage in such destructive, anti-social behaviour?

It’s a complex problem and there are many possible answers.

It could be that vandalism is an expression of hostility towards a society that offers the perpetrators little by way of self-realisation.

Lack of opportunities for employment or meaningful group activities could be influential. Substance abuse could lead on from this and to finance this abuse, acts of property vandalism may follow in pursuit of financial gain to feed addictions. “

There could also be a factor of a lack of parental control of young people to take into consideration
An interesting research project carried out on the problem of vandalism surveyed young people themselves and asked what they thought was the root cause of vandalism.

In the eyes of these young people the two main factors they identified as being at the root of vandalism.

Too much boredom with too little activity to occupy them and on top of this a strong influence created by peer pressure.

To succeed in an act of vandalism and to then report it on social media gives the perpetrator a sense of accomplishment in the eyes of peers.

So peer pressure plays a central role here.

So what can be done to approach solutions?

Clearly it is vital to make positive activities available to young people and to support and encourage participation.

This could be sports leagues, youth hubs, music, tech group activity, drama or a host of other possibilities.

Let’s also hope that the new TAFE might help by offering more training opportunities for young people.

A fundamental problem still remains.

We have multiple employment agencies in the Nambucca Valley but few job opportunities – particularly for the unskilled sectors of our society.

Young people need to feel that they have a stake in our community and to some extent that comes from meaningful employment.

To install security cameras and to increase police presence in town is only a part of the answer to what is a complex and deep-seated problem.

We need urgently to consider all angles and come up with some effective strategies for the future.

Regards,
Marlene GRIFFIN,
Valla Beach.