You are on page 1of 19

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thank to God

because give me an effort to do and finish assignment on our English

Language Proficiency. I have been given a task from my lecture that is, I have to write a
formal letter of complaint. Our

expository writing letter of complaint is based on the

Vandalism are occurred in our housing area.


All we need to do is searching the information and using the information that is given by
our lecture, Dr. Rashidah Begam Bt.O.A Rajak ,thank a lot to her because she already give
many information and advice that very useful. Also, when the time we all stress when
getting so many assignment at the same time, she give us advice and concern to us just
relax, stay cool when facing this kind of situation. She help us a lot in order to finish the
assignment.I also want to thank to my entire friend who help we all in the process of making
and finishing our assignment.
Thank to their information and advice in order to helpout to make our assignment
better.By doing this assignment we have learned many thing about the local issue are
written as formal letter of complaint.Including, the causes and implication about Vandalism.
Thing are maybe are getting better but some time it may be very dangerous and can cause
fatal. The things, if we follow the law and regulation we can overcome this problem. We
making this project not only for marks but to also increase

our

knowledge

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO HELPED .


Bhavanii d/o Rajasegar
Dorrithy Ak Clement Labang
Jumaalrina binti Sulaiman

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

CONTENT OF TABLE
QUESTION PAPER.I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CONTENT OF TABLE

INTRODUCTION

FORMAL LETTER OF COMPLAINT

4-6

(THE VANDALISM ACTIVITY IN RESIDENT LIVING)


REFLECTION
i)
ii)
iii)

7-9

BHAVANII D/O RAJASEGAR


DORITHY AK CLEMENT LABANG
JUMAALRINA BINTI SULAIAMAN

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

10

REFERENCES

11

APPENDIX

12-18

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

INTRODUCTION
A problem that occurs in most states is vandalism. Vandalism is a growing national
problem. Last year this senseless crime cost United States Citizens over one billion dollars.
Vandalism is a problem that gets to everyone in some form or another. It can affect your
family, friends, property, community, and your pocketbook. The more you know about
vandalism, the more you can make it a crime that is more trouble than it's worth.
Over one half of all the crimes associated with vandalism occurs in high schools. There is
no typical vandal. Vandals can be good or bad students, girls or boys, whites or blacks, rich
or poor. The largest age group arrested for vandalism is between 13 and 14. However,
children as young six and seven vandalize schools and park areas. Teenagers with growingup problems act destructively by destroying vehicles, spray-painting graffiti on public places,
etc. Older youths often commit more serious acts such as damaging vehicles or machinery,
burglary, arson or theft.
Although most vandals do not have a clear motive for their acts, studies show that basic
social problems and attitudes are at the root of the vandalism. Among the many explanations
for the crime are anger against society, boredom, drug and alcohol abuse, disciplinary
problems, personal problems and racial/political conflicts.
Police, fire and emergency services are affected by increased workloads and false
alarms. Also, facilities, such as parks and public rest rooms which everyone in the
community uses, become vandalized. Vandalism affects your pocketbook too. People pay
their taxes for a reason, to build a better community for the future generation. When the
community is vandalized, the people are the ones who have to pay for someone elses
damage.
Vandalism is still and will always be a growing problem unless we do something about it.
We need to keep our kids off the streets, make sure you educate them about vandalism by
telling then that is wrong and can lead to prison. Also be aware of who your kids are hanging
out with, give them enough attention and love as much as discipline and also encourage
activities outside of school. With this information we will be able to succeed and stop
vandalism from happening.
Vandalism is a growing national problem. Vandalism is costing tax payers a lot of money.
It can affect your property, friends, family, community, and pocketbook. The more you know
about vandalism, the more you can make it a crime that is more trouble than it's worth.

WRITE A FORMAL LETTER OF COMPLAINT ABOUT


3

LOCAL ISSUE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

Title : The Vandalism Are Occurred Among Resident Living in Taman

Sentosa

Bhavanii D/O Rajasegar


No : 856 Taman Sentosa
59100 Lembah Pantai,
Kuala Lumpur.

___________________________________________________________________________
19 March 2013
The Director
Federal Municapal Council,
Aras 5 Bangunan Muhibbah,
59100 Lembah Pantai,
Kuala Lumpur
Dear Sir/Madam,
Re : Complaint On Vandalism Are Occurred Among Resident Living In Taman
Sentosa

With references to the above, I Bhavanii d/o Rajasegar writing this letter is to attract
your attention to the above title. As representative of the community, I am calling to tell
you that the 300 odd residents living in Taman Sentosa are extremely unhappy
about the activity of vandalism.
2. Nowdays, vandalism is a widespread problem that infuriates both the public and
authorities in Taman Sentosa. This vandalism occurred since last two weeks ago and
become increasingly in Taman Sentosa. Because some of irresponsible people were
damage the public property and people things, 300 odd residents living members are very
disappointed and frustrated. As example,they are destroying people vehicles are parked
outside, spray-painting graffiti on children playground, public telephone both, and private
toilet of Taman Sentosa. They feel that destruction of public or private property is usual
things like they didnt feel guilty about this. They just want to have fun with others but
they didnt think what might , others feel about them.
3. Vandalism is the conspicuous defacement or destruction of a structure or symbol
against the will of the owner or the governing body. In others words, vandalism destroys
4

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

the property of other publics. In our resident living, especially children playground were
damage extreme until children cant play. Toys were on the playground was broken up. The
public telephone booth were destroyed and wire was disconnected. If any emerceny, people
in Taman Sentosa couldnt make call from public telephone booth. Its in very bad condition.
The public

toilet walls

in

Taman Sentosa were defaced and sketched with obscene

languages to the detriment of the beauty of Taman Sentosa. This vandalism is increasingly
becoming a serious matter among the residents of Taman Sentosa.
4. It is a known fact that the problem that cause people involve in the vandalism is they
desire to express themselves. It may happen because they are having a problem in their life
and they do not have self-esteem to face the problem. Sometimes parents are not concern
to them and it might cause the teenager involve in a bad behaviour. So that, they want to
express their feeling by get involve in vandalism. It can result the bad problem to the
teenager and also can considered bad in the eye of society. It became more serious when
the teenagers rebel in the society. Next problem is teenagers tend to follow their friends
behaviour. If they are friends with the person who has a bad attitude, they will be influence
by the negative things. For example, nowadays we can see most of the public amenities had
been destroy because of vandalism. Although the criminal had been caught they still do the
same things.
5. There are many effects that can be seen by the physical and emotional. Vandalism effects
not felt by individuals and communities around the country but also adversely impacted as a
result of acts immoral and inconvenience for all parties. Vandalism can affect individuals,
communities, and nations.Most people who have done vandalism just to release their
tension and some to meet satisfaction. It thus gives effect to the individual to commit the
same act again if the problem persists. This will indirectly lead to worse things will happen
such as robbery or murder.
6. To stop vandalism, we do something about it .If not it will always be a growing problem.
Firstly ,parents must need to keep kids off the streets, make sure educate them about
vandalism by telling then that is wrong and can lead to prison. Parents also watchout their
kids are hanging out with, give them enough attention and love as much as discipline and
also encourage activities outside of school. With this information we will be able to succeed
and stop vandalism from happening. One way to solve this problem is government should
provide an event for teenager to guide them and give them explanation what the effect to the
teenager when they get involve in bad behaviour such as vandalism.
7. Symptoms of this vandalism, causing much distress among residents of Taman Sentosa.
Therefore, it is hoped that immediate action will be taken by the authorities to rectify the
5

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

situation. I hope the council will look into our complaints and take prompt action to
solve our problem.
Thank you.

Your sincerely,

.
(BHAVANII D/O RAJASEGAR)
RESIDENT OF TAMAN SENTOSA

REFLECTION
6

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

NAME

: BHAVANII D/O RAJASEGAR

IC NUMBER : 831206-02-5586
When my lecturer Dr.Rashidah Begam Bt O.A.Rajak has been given this task, I am started
to search any resources to complete this assignment. In the beginning, this assignment is
challenging but the lecturer help us to overcome these problem. I has been face off with a lot
of challenges and problem especially to get the information but my lecturer help me to
complete this assignment. I work hard to find the references and collect the information
about the task given to complete this assignment. Then, I discuss with team member and the
other friends to find the correct information that can be used in this assignment. Dr.Rashidah
Begam Bt O.A.Rajak help us a lot during finishing this assignment. She guide us to write a
better a formal letter of complaint and make a nice presentation about our assignments.
These assignments also awaken me that are in our life that are a lot of challenges and
problems that we must face off. I realize that we need to sacrifice to done any work. This
assignment also teach me that the important the team work. Without friends, I found that to
finish this assignment is too difficult in a short period of the time given. I and my friends work
together to finish this assignment. My friends have me a lot during finishing this assignment.
They help me to check the drafts and give me more information the title are we choose and
give some suggestions about the presentation.
In my opinion, the task that has been given by our lecturers can help us improved our
knowledge about English language and speaking skills. This is because we also need read a
lot of articles to find the information. At the end of this assignment, I found that I have been
gain a lot of knowledge about the writing formal letter of complaint and it also gains my
knowledge about the vandalism among the people especially teenagers. This assignment
also help me to memorise some information about widespread of vandalism in during
secondary school.
In the end, I also found out that making a mind map for the graphic organisers is the best
way to manage ideas and gives me more understanding about the information given. By
making a mind map, I can do the summary neatly without much hassle. It is more difficult to
look out for main ideas in the article without proper ways of organising it. Mind map of
course is the best method, and it is suitable way for organising information. Thanks to all
people that directly or indirectly in helping me to complete my assignment.

REFLECTION
NAME
7

: DORRTHY AK CLEMENT LABANG

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

IC NUMBER : 860427 52 6328


The task that my friends and I received is to write a working paper for starting a club.This is
a group work. Firstly, of course I look up for my team. We are allow three person in a group.
There are three person in my group including me. Honestly, I couldnt understand about the
task. It is because it was last semester I hear about it. Luckily, Dr.Rashidah Begam Bt
O.A.Rajak give my friends and I am clearly explanation about the task and what type is the
working paper. I can understand and get a clue how to make a writing letter and the items.
Certainly before start the work, we had a disscussion. Then, we divided the work
appropriately and started doing our task.
My teams and I had agree to produce the working paper about title of vandalism are
occurred among resident living inTaman Sentosa . The first thing we do, we choose ours
title . We surf to the internet to find out informations about the contents . Besides, we also
insert true format of writing letter, who Dr.Rashidah Begam Bt O.A.Rajak give explanation.
As long as we doing this task, I have learnt about how to writing a formal letter of complaint.
I think it is interesting project because the task is type of formal letter about local issue as
usual .So, from there is no knowledge how to do writing a letter of complaint , I get the
knowledge and know how touse it from this project.I enjoyed working with my teams. This
project exciting and interesting because more information i can get and relationship between
each other can be close. All of them are very kind, helpful and tolerance. When it is time to
disscussion, we are seat together and start the disscussion. I feel very comfortable with
them.By this project we give a chance to anyone that wants to tell theirs opinion and we
accept it if it is suitable. On our good cooperation, we succeesfully finished this task on the
time.This project was a good learning exprience. The knowledge that I get from this project, I
can use it in the future. As a teacher to be, it can give me more benefit and I can give the
knowledge to my students. I would like to say thanks you to my team especially Bhavanii d/o
Rajasegar that give full of commitment while doing this task. Not forget to Dr.Rashidah
Begam Bt O.A.Rajak. Thank you very much for your guidence and explanation that help me
so much. I hope Dr.Rashidah Begam Bt O.A.Rajak will satisfy with our task.

REFLECTION
NAME
8

: JUMAALRINA BINTI SULAIMAN

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

IC NUMBER : 870904 52 6064


I am very grateful to God to be able to complete this task successfully. While receiving this
assignment I have found a number of barriers in terms of time and resources. But after being
assured by Dr.Rashidah Begam Bt O.A.Rajak Lecturer English Language Profiency I can
better understand and easier for me to develop each process to perform the tasks given by
the lecturers. In addition, I can know about writing formal letter of complaint with help of
friends. Next, I can able write the formal letter with my own knowledge.
Additionally, through processing course work assignments, I have had various
experiences. Tolerance and cooperation with lecturers and all team friends especially
Bhavanii and Dorrithy can also be enhanced through processing complete this short course
work assignments. I can recognize the attitude and personality of friends and lecturers
teaching method and this while strengthening lateral relations.
In addition, the experience of communicating with lecturers and colleagues for performing
this assignment allowed me to improve and enhance the way I interact. It can be trained me
to

communicate

well

and

to

prepare

to

be

quality

teacher.

Finally, the assignment of a short course of this work has given me a lot of interest and
increase my passion to become a teacher quality in order to produce excellent
human capital.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

10

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

REFERENCE
By: by April J.( October 20, 2009) Teen aggression: How to cope with teen vandalism
Retrieved from http://www.edarticle.com/article.php.

By : Joseph Petrocelli & Author ( October 01, 2007 ) School Vandalism: Work with the
community to create an anti-graffiti environment on local campuses.
(1pages), Retrieved from http://www.edarticle.com/article.php

Lynne Van Luven, rev. of Vandalism In School, by Anita Rau Badami, Quill & Quire June

1996, 15 June 2004 http://www. quillandquire. com/reviews/review. cfm?review_ id=939>


par. 9.
3

Shazia Rahman, Teen Vandalism in Public Road Toronto Review of Contemporary

Writing Abroad 18.1 (1999): 95.Curran, J. (2006).


Hyman R (Ed) 1971, How to overcome the Vandalism Issue, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. 2
Dunbar R 1995, The trouble with science, Faber & Faber, London.)
Salman Rushdie, The Indian Writer in England, The Vandalism: Indian Writing in English,
ed. Maggie Butcher (London: Commonwealth Institute, 1983) 75.
Http:// www. Edarticle.com/ article.php.
http://www.ehow.com/how_8417630_write-were-not-responsible-vandalism.html
http://rapgenius.com/9th-prince-vandalism-lyrics#lyrichttp://rapgenius.com/9th-princevandalism-lyrics#lyric

11

APPENDIX

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

SAMPLE OF LETTER
Flat 303 Lucky Mansions
856 Cheung Sha Wan Road
Cheung Sha Wan
Kowloon
8 March 2013
The Administrative Officer
Exhibition Services
Exhibitions International
33 Kadoorie Avenue
Kowloon
Dear Sir/Madam
Neighbourhood Safety
On behalf of the residents in Taman Bunga Baru, I would like to call your attention to the
safety of our neighbourhood. In recent months, several abandoned houses in our
neighbourhood are visited by gangs of suspicious youths on motorcycles. This development
has caused a great deal of concern among us as we have reason to believe that these
youths are the cause of several problems.
2. Numerous houses have been broken into within the past month. We, the residents, are
truly worried about the safety of our families. Cash, valuables and various electrical
appliances have been stolen from these houses. Although police reports have been made,
the problem still persists.
3. Apart from the burglaries, we have also found various items missing from the outside of
our homes. These items include water meters, flower pots, shoes, bicycles and even the
laundry which has been hung to dry. Not only do these petty thefts cause financial loss but
also a great deal of inconvenience to us.

12

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

4. Vandalism has also become rampant in our neighbourhood. The walls of many houses
have been spray-painted with obscene graffiti. Numerous public telephone booths have also
been rendered useless by vandals.
5. Loud music from the abandoned houses can also be heard on a daily basis. This occurs
practically every day and goes on until the wee hours of the morning. As a result, many
residents have been disturbed from their sleep.
6. The irresponsible youths constantly organize illegal motorcycle races within our
neighbourhood. We are concerned because illegal racing poses a danger to the residents,
especially children. Moreover, such activities are usually associated with unhealthy activities
such as drug abuse and gangsterism.
7. The presence of the delinquent youths has caused much distress among the residents of
Taman Bunga Baru. Therefore, it is hoped that immediate action will be taken by the
authorities to rectify the situation.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully
---------------------TAN AH BENG
President

13

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

HOW WRITE A LETTER OF


COMPLAINT
Introduction
Letters of complaint usually include the following stages:
1.Background
2.Problem - cause and effect
3.Solution
4.Warning (optional)
5.Closing
1.Background
This section describes the situation; e.g.
I am writing to inform you that the goods we ordered from your company have not been
supplied correctly.
I attended your exhibition Sound Systems 2013 at the Fortune Hotel (22-25 January) and
found it informative and interesting. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the event was spoiled by
a number of organisational problems.
I am a shareholder of Sunshine Bank and I am very concerned regarding recent
newspaper reports on the financial situation of the bank. Your company is listed as the
auditor in the latest annual report of the bank, so I am writing to you to ask for an
explanation of the following issues.
I am writing to inform you of my dissatisfaction with the food and drinks at the 'European
Restaurant' on 18 January this year.
2.Problem
Cause:On 4 March 2013 we placed an order with your firm for 12,000 ultra super long-life
batteries. The consignment arrived yesterday but contained only 1,200 batteries.
Firstly, I had difficulty in registering to attend the event. You set up an on-line registration
facility, but I found the facility totally unworkable.
You sent us an invoice for $10,532, but did not deduct our usual 10% discount.
We have found 16 spelling errors and 2 mis-labelled diagrams in the sample book.
Effect:
This error put our firm in a difficult position, as we had to make some emergency purchases
to fulfil our commitments to all our customers. This caused us considerable inconvenience.

14

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

Even after spending several wasted hours trying to register in this way, the computer would
not accept my application.
I am therefore returning the invoice to you for correction.
This large number of errors is unacceptable to our customers, and we are therefore unable
to sell these books.
3.SolutionI am writing to ask you to please make up the shortfall immediately and to ensure
that such errors do not happen again.
Could I please ask you to look into these matters.
Please send us a corrected invoice for $9,479
I enclose a copy of the book with the errors highlighted. Please re-print the book and send
it to us by next Friday.
4.Warning (optional)Otherwise, we may have to look elsewhere for our supplies.
I'm afraid that if these conditions are not met, we may be forced to take legal action.
If the outstanding fees are not paid by Wednesday, 20 March 2013, you will incur a 10%
late payment fee.
5.Closing
I look forward to receiving your explanation of these matters.
I look forward to receiving your payment.
I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Politeness
The tone of complaint letters should not be aggressive or insulting, as this would annoy the
reader and not encourage them to solve the problem. In addition, questions such as 'Why
can't you get this right?' should not be included.
Content
The content should contain enough details so that the receiver does not have to write back
requesting more.
Legal action is not normally threatened in the first letter of complaint, unless the situation is
very serious

15

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

ARTICLE
ARTICLE :1
Teen aggression: How to cope with teen vandalism
by April J.
Created on: October 20, 2009 The teen years are a time of change and transition, when a
young adult begins to seek to define who they are and how they will choose to make their
mark upon the world. Unfortunately, during this time some teens choose to "make their
mark" a little too literally... Teen vandalism is a problem that can arise when a frustrated or
bored teen begins to experiment with pushing their boundaries or venting their emotions in
unhealthy ways. This article will explore the issue of teen vandalism, some of the reasons
that it happens, and what a parent can do to help a teen express themselves in less
destructive ways.
TEEN AGGRESSION

Considering the stresses of teen life in today's world, it is not

surprising that some teens find it hard to deal, and that we sometimes see these types of
behaviors as a result. Some of the daily stressors in a teen's life include their bodies
producing new cocktails of raging hormones (for example testosterone, often linked in
research to aggression), body image issues, pressure to fit in, pressure to have the nicest
clothes and gadgets, acne, homework, exams, first relationships, first job, first car, college
preparation, plans for the future... the list goes on.Sometimes stress can lead to frustration,
and if a young person doesn't have the communication skills yet to give words to what they
are feeling and try to seek a resolution in a healthy way, they may resort to other tactics,
some of which can be aggressive. One of the most basic human responses when frustrated
for a human sometimes is... well... breaking something (or worse - fighting someone). It all
goes back to our built-in "fight-or-flight response". This can sometimes be behind teen
aggression.Another reason that can be behind teen vandalism stems from a teen's newfound desire to assert themselves in the world as an adult. In modern society, for financial
reasons, young people are kept in a dependent, child-like role for much longer than they
ever were throughout human history. This can cause conflict as the young person becomes
an adult physically and seeks to assert their independence and individuality.
What does this all have to do with vandalism? Sometimes teens are not the best at picking
out which behaviors are best at asserting their presence - they just want to stake out new
experience and territory. Have you ever seen notes like "Jane was here" on bathroom walls?
The act of young people seeking to make themselves known and heard can sometimes
manifest itself.
16

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

ARTICLE : 2
Departments : Patrol Response To...
School Vandalism
Work with the community to create an anti-graffiti environment on local campuses.
October 01, 2007 | by Joseph Petrocelli - Also by this author
The start of the school year brings unique challenges to students, parents, and school
administrators, as well as law enforcement. Once a symbol of discipline and order, many of
today's schools are overcrowded, poorly maintained, and serve as magnets for criminal
activity. One particular crime that presents special challenges for law enforcement is school
vandalism, which can take a variety of forms from broken windows to graffiti to the total
destruction of property.
While such acts are rarely reported in the media, one in three schools has reported acts of
vandalism each year. In 1990 more than $600 million in damage to school property was
caused by vandals. By understanding the nuances of vandalistic acts, patrol officers can
develop specialized responses to help minimize future attacks.
Easy Target
Schools present a unique target for vandals. They are easily accessible and everyone
knows when schools are busy and when they are empty. Unfortunately, vandalism is often
under reported because school officials may view the crimes as inconsequential, they may
prefer to handle the repairs in house, or they may fear that reports of vandalism reflect
negatively on their management skills.
If you and your police department aim to reduce school vandalism, you must first get a clear
picture of the offense and help to ensure that all vandalism incidents are properly reported.
To facilitate easy reporting, develop a form that school administrators can fill out without
police assistance or allow tipsters to report crimes of vandalism over the phone. If all
incidents are not being reported, find out why.
Consider the Motives
Once you have a clear picture of the prevalence of these crimes in your area, develop
theories as to why the vandalism occurs. It may be helpful to recognize that most acts of
vandalism provide no financial gain for the actor; they are merely vehicles for the actor to
gain status in the eyes of his or her peers.
In an effort to gain social status without causing real financial damage, an actor may spray
hate-motivated or gang-related graffiti on school grounds. This act gets the actor's name
around school. In contrast, secretly dropping cherry bombs into toilets or vandalizing
laboratories causes a great deal of financial damage, but doesn't do much for the reputation
of the clandestine actor. Establishing the motive of the actor will go a long way toward
developing a criminal profile.
Next, try to develop a profile of the events and the perpetrators. Spontaneous events such
as throwing rocks or bottles through windows, seem relatively random. Other acts, like
17

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

drawing elaborate, multi-colored gang graffiti high off the ground, indicate some level of
planning. How the incidents are groupedmany small incidents with no apparent pattern or
a few large incidents that coincide with sporting events or concertscan provide valuable
clues.
Obtain additional information by interviewing non-offending students or by debriefing
offenders who have been apprehended. Find out the general age of the perpetrators, level
of criminal sophistication, proximity to the crime scene, modes of transportation, and the
number of offenders involved.
Prior to initiating proactive enforcement steps, gauge the community's reaction to the
vandalism. Is it viewed as a serious, expensive offense or a harmless act that everyone in
the town engaged in when they were in high school? How does the media portray the
vandals: as gang members marking their territory or as harmless kids committing juvenile
pranks? A police response that is out of sync with the community's feelings could cause
more problems than it solves.
Tackling the Problem
As school and police officials begin to tackle the problem of school vandalism, the first step
will be to conduct a security walk through the campus. Sprawling campuses that cover many
acres are more susceptible to vandalism than smaller facilities. Burned out lights and large
bushes can create hiding spots that give vandals a sense of secrecy. Look out for any trees
that may lend easy access to the roof. Also pay special attention to large, smooth walls,
especially those painted a light color. Such walls can be painted with a mixture of colors
(camouflage print) that doesn't allow graffiti to stand out, making them much less tempting to
vandals.
If the vandalism problem continues to escalate, look into organizing a task force that invites
a free exchange of ideas from students, teachers, administrators, custodians, and members
of the community. Make every effort to include marginalized students whose voices may not
be heard in an organized setting. Input from these varied sources will lead to a vigorous
discourse, as well as new ideas and responses.If graffiti is the main problem, schools might
choose to erect a "graffiti board," a wall where non-offensive graffiti is permitted. This means
of expression allows students to have an outlet for their creativity while preventing
widespread damage to school grounds.Finally, work with the courts to develop creative
sentences for those who are caught vandalizing schools. Using a restorative justice model,
you can encourage judges to sentence offenders to cleaning the school's hallways or
scrubbing graffiti from the walls instead of giving them time in juvie. This way, the offenders
will serve a punishment that returns the school to its prior condition.
School vandalism plagues almost every community in the country. Police want to develop a
measured response that reflects the community's view of the offense and creates an
environment wherein the crimes will ultimately be eliminated. By working with students,
faculty, and members of the community, your agency can develop creative and successful
responses to school vandalism.Det. Joseph Petrocelli is a 20-year veteran of New Jersey
law enforcement. He can be contacted through SAFECOPS.com.

18

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFIENCY BI3311D

Tags: Campus Safety, Graffiti, Juveniles, Vandalism

19

You might also like