How to reduce playground vandalism
Offensive graffiti. Plastic slides set on fire.
ground,” says Verna Scott with Blue Imp.
Whole playgrounds burned to the ground.
Scott, who has more than 30 years of ex-
Playground vandalism is unsightly, danger-
perience in the playground industry, adds
ous and costly. But it’s a reality.
that vandalism is not only dangerous but
A principal from Delta, B.C. recently re-
very costly to school districts.
ported in The Province that her school’s
Can anything be done to prevent it?
playground had been struck by vandals
“Absolutely,” says Scott. “There are sev-
three times in one month causing serious
eral precautions that schools and commu-
damage, disruption for the children who use
nities can take to help prevent and reduce
the structure and costly repairs. In one case,
incidents of vandalism.”
the plastic slide was burned right down. At
Scott cites playground design as well as
another school, vandals set fire to a plastic
choice of materials and location as key fac-
play structure, completely destroying it.
tors in helping prevent vandalism in the first
“A broken playground is an unsafe play-
place.
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Ops Talk • Spring 2012
Location Matters One of the first factors to consider in discouraging playground vandalism is location. “Try to choose a site that is well lit and easily visible from neighbouring homes,” explains Scott. Unwanted activity may be prevented by the very fact that potential vandals may fear being seen. Of course, location alone will not be enough to deter all vandals. That’s where design and materials come in. Playground Design Deters Graffiti Since taggers prefer solid surfaces on which to make their mark, one way to discourage them is to reduce the use of such components in the playground design. For example, says Scott, climbers made of steel rungs are much less likely to be tagged than climbers made of solid plastic. Similarly, vertical steel rails are not nearly as attractive to taggers as are solid plastic panels. Another bonus: steel rail fences are much more transparent than plastic panels, which
