Callous is how it has been described by one councillor.
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You couldn’t have come up with a better way to get at the heart of a crime that’s being perpetrated upon our most precious resource.
That, of course, is our kids and the crime is the senseless incidents of vandalism and theft taking place at playgrounds across Albury.
It was Councillor Hank van de Ven who referred to the callous disregard paid to the children who play on this equipment every day.
The issue has come to light following an audit of equipment that revealed at least eight playgrounds have been affected.
One incident that starkly tells the story of why Albury Council and NSW Police have called on greater community vigilance is the discovery of a slide being unbolted from the ground at Jelbart Park.
It is frightening to think about the consequences of such an idiotic act, given this could have resulted in the slide collapsing from a few kids going about their fun.
The list continues.
Swings, climbing nets and rails have been pinched, these from parks at Oddies Creek, Lara Lakes and Fellows parks, while at Heathwood Park someone has gone to the trouble of unbolting then moving a seat and table.
We’ve already mentioned the stupidity factor. But on top of that comes the inconvience, the danger to kids and then the cost.
And that’s because of something that shouldn’t be happening, being done by the most selfish of crooks.
Sometimes you can understand, though definitely not excuse, the actions of those who might break into a house because they have some addiction to feed. These are those vicious cycles of crime that have wider societal causes and impacts.
But it’s quite impossible to conclude that vandalising or stealing playground equipment is a crime borne out of any type of necessity.
No one is spinning a yarn when they point out the danger created by such acts.
If you see anything suspicious, please call the police.
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