Variants of vandalism

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32612, 21 May 1971, Page 8

Variants of vandalism

Hoaxing is an aberration from normal behaviour that the average citizen has difficulty in understanding, let alone tolerating. In some of its forms it may appear harmless enough, except to the extent that it causes irritation, inconvenience, and possibly needless expense to the victims of it But when it comes to deliberate interference with vital emergency services, public impatience must turn to anger at the wanton folly of those responsible. On Tuesday night St John Ambulance, Transport Department, and police vehicles were sent by a telephone caller on a wideranging and time-wasting search for a road accident that did not occur.

The hoaxer, who gave a false name, was specific in invented detail. He even used the emergency call number, no doubt with the idea of deepening the sense of urgency. His infantile performance might have been more gravely embarrassing, at least to the ambulance service, than it fortunately turned out to be. While two ambulances were out on a fruitless search, the association might have been left without reserve vehicles or staff to cope with genuine accident or sickness calls. In short, lives were endangered. Like more familiar forms of vandalism this sort of thing is difficult to sheet home; but the public, in their own interest, should lose no opportunity of helping the authorities to make an example of these pests, who often are unwise enough to boast of their exploits. The silent disapproval of their audience is a poor substitute for positive action to help the police. Thoughtlessness rather than any quite unnecessary aversion to filling the role of informer probably disinclines citizens to help in identifying persons who find a perverted pleasure in destroying property or disrupting emergency services. And as Sunday night’s fire in Deans Avenue demonstrated, thoughtlessness can be as damaging to the public interest as vandalism. There are many people who do not stop to think that their presence needlessly obstructs those whose lives may be at stake when fighting a serious fire. The morbid interest of spectators can, and frequently does, hamper efforts to assist the victims of vehicle accidents. There is a very real need for citizens as a whole to appraise their own, perhaps instinctive, reactions to crises of a public nature, such as fires and street accidents. They would make it very much easier for those whose task it is to help if they would just keep out of the way. They might well reflect how resentful they would be if thoughtless crowds imperilled their own safety or interfered with the protection of their homes. '