Ratepayers have had to fork out more than $30,000 in the first half of the financial year to cover damage in the city from vandals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Between July and December 2016, vandalism cost Dubbo Regional Council $30,157 in damage.
It’s comprised of more than $15,000 in the parks and landcare division and more than $4,000 in technical services, while Wellington has racked up more than $10,000 in vandalism repairs.
It’s the first time Wellington has been included in council’s vandalism figures, but based on numbers from previous years, the rate of damage to council property has remained consistent.
Vandalism is classified by council as willful damage, such as breaking a window for fun, without the intent to commit a robbery.
In 2015/16 council’s vandalism bill was more than $66,000. It was similar in 2014/15 at $64,000.
Council's manager social services John Watts said the money spent repairing the vandalism damage was money that could be spent by council to better the local government area.
Council has a reward in place for members of the public who witness a vandal.
If you be a good citizen and do the right thing, you get the reward.
- Dubbo Regional Council's John Watts
“Basically you have to spot someone doing vandalism or graffiti to council property. You then obviously notify the police and if there’s a conviction, council will pay $2,500,” Mr Watts said.
In the last six years, the reward has only been claimed once.
“It’s been a lot of time between drinks, I supposed you would put it. I’ve only ever had two official requests. I’ve had people come up and say ‘what do I do to get the money?’ but they’ve never followed through,” Mr Watts said.
The reward was given out in 2013/14 when a whopping $102,000 in vandalism damage was recorded in the city. The parks and landcare division alone was hit with more than $84,000-worth of vandalism.
“I can recall that the person who claimed it was quite happy with it. If you be a good citizen and do the right thing, you get the reward,” Mr Watts said.
It was a large amount of money, and could make a huge difference, he said.