The whole community suffers from this crime. Most vandals are young people—from grade-school students to young adults. Business owners can combat vandalism with these suggestions:
- Clean up vandalism as soon as it is discovered. To discourage more damage, you should replace signs, repair equipment, and paint over graffiti.
- Once the graffiti is gone, use landscape designs (such as prickly shrubs or hedges), hard-to-mark surfaces, lighting, or fences to discourage future vandals.
- Install lighting and gates that lock. Eliminate places where someone might hide, such as trees, shrubs, stairwells and alleys.
- Report vandalism to the police as soon as possible.