Honorary Rangers’ Bid To Deal With City Vandalism

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29764, 6 March 1962, Page 15

Honorary Rangers’ Bid To Deal With City Vandalism

Vandalism in Christchurch is not confined of the community, or any particular age group, olds through to apparently respectable adults honorary rangers committing acts of vandalism officially £lOOO each year, according to a meeti: last evening.

The meeting decided it should formally organise into a Society of Rangers so as to be in a better position to deal with vandalism in the city. An interim committee, comprising Messrs W. E. James, F. A. Harvey, C. A. Cooper, E. Foote and H. J. Gourlay, was appointed to draw up a constitution. Between 60 and 70 honorary rangers and citizens attended the meeting, which was presided over by Cr. P. J. Skellerup, to discuss the best ways of preventing and dealing with vandalism. The meeting agreed that the failure of parents to teach their children respect for property was one of the primary causes of vandalism. As an illustration, Mr C. W. Olliver related the following incident: “I was in Woolworths when I saw a child pinch a bar of chocolate. He showed it to his mother who asked where he had got it from. On being told he had taken it from the counter, his mother asked, ‘Well, why didn’t you take one for Georgie (the second child) too?”* The controller of Maori wardens in Christchurch, Mr

A. Rogers, said that if the rangers were to be effective they would have to organise themselves. Roster System

“We are doing better than you at preventing vandalism with fewer members. The wardens work on a roster systfln where three men are responsible for policing trouble spots one week in every four. They have found that talking works better than brawn. If you go looking for fights you will find them,” said Mr Rogers. “We have had a lot of trouble with Maoris and pakehas and some of those Maoris are big boys, but the right approach works wonders.”

The wardens talked to would-be vandals, explaining that the property damaged was theirs. It had only been necessary to call in the police for assistance about once in two years. “Once you go into court, you are at the point of no return. We call the offenders up before a board of rangers and a committee. They have the choice of paying a fine or going to court. Most prefer to pay the fine. But the important thing is, you don't see

to one particular section At some time, five-year-have been observed by ;hat cost the ratepayers ig of honorary rangers

those chaps in trouble afterwards.” he said.

Rangers had no power under any act or by-law to do more than ask offenders to refrain from defacing public property, said Cr. G. A G, Connal, speaking on the legal rights and obligations of honorary rangers. The bylaws gave them the power to investigate and report acta of vandalism. The Reserves and Domain Act stated it was an offence to impersonate, threaten or bribe a ranger. “Discretion Needed” The director of parks and reserves (Mr H. G. Gilpin) said that it was rather difficult to know what action to take when vandalism was observed. There was need to act with discretion, especially in the case of young boys climbing trees. “Boys will be boys. It is better to coax them down and give them a pep talk than to call me or my officers. By the time we arrive the culprits are gone,” he said. In more serious cases he advised rangers to call the police. “Some of these vandals are strong and we don’t want you getting manhandled,” he said. A suggestion that the reserves department should send an officer around the schools and, With the cooperation of the headmasters, organise the children into groups of junior rangers, responsible for keeping their district vandal-free, was made by Mr F. A. Harvey. “It could be part of their social studies. If you enlist their sympathy, they will grow up to have a sense of responsibility,” he said. Other suggestions for dealing with the problem included radio and newspaper publicity, appealing to the public to take a pride in eivic property.