A series of criminal damages in Ryde on the Isle of Wight was stopped and solved thanks to persistent enquiries by a local neighbourhood police officer.
A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested and charged with criminal damage. He appeared before the Isle of Wight Youth Court in December 2009 when he was found guilty.
The teenager was made the subject of a youth offending referral order for nine months, a six-month parenting order, and told to pay £625 compensation to Isle of Wight Council and £50 court costs.
The tag was found in at least 14 locations including the Royal York Hotel in George Street, a disused garage in East Street, a pedestrian shelter at the Canoe Lake, and public seating in Puckpool Park.
PC Martin Rogers said: “It was clear these acts of criminal damage were linked to the same person. The offender had even started to write ‘catch me if you can’ in some places. Photographs of the graffiti tags were analysed with support from staff from Isle of Wight Council’s Community Safety Services, which runs an online graffiti gallery.
To report graffiti, you can phone a dedicated Isle of Wight Council hotline on (01983) 823515 or go online to
www.iwight.com/graffiti The Ryde Town Safer Neighbourhoods team can be contacted by phoning police on 101 or e-mailing
rydetown.snt@hampshire.police.uk. In an emergency, always phone 999. Find out more about your local Safer Neighbourhoods team by going online to
www.hampshire.police.uk and typing in your postcode.