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Vandalism

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If the suspect is still present you should call the police on 999. If the suspect has left you should contact Police Scotland by dialling 101 who will take crime details over the phone. You should know the time or times it happened between and the size of the window smashed.

If the house is a private house you should take steps to replace the glass and secure the house. The police cannot recommend a glazier but they are listed online. If the house is a council house then you should contact the council to repair/replace the window.

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If you are a residential occupier of the premises, i.e. you live there, then it is a criminal offence for any person to unlawfully deprive you, as a residential occupier, of your occupation of the premises. Changing the locks would be an unlawful eviction unless you have been officially evicted from the property by court order.

An unlawfully evicted tenant may use reasonable force to regain entry to their own home (e.g. breaking a window), but be sure of your facts before taking these steps. If you have been lawfully evicted, you may be committing an offence of criminal damage. The Citizens Advice will best be able to advise you.

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If your car has been broken into then you should report the crime to Police Scotland by dialling 101.

If you witness someone breaking into your car then dial 999, otherwise use the non-emergency number.

Even if you are not going to make a claim from your insurance company, you should still report the matter to the police because if crimes are not reported, the police will not be aware of any potential crime patterns and will not be able to take any positive action.

If there are items (with a smooth surface e.g. cd cover, de-icer can) in the car that you think the offender may have touched then contact your local police station about the possibility of the items being fingerprinted.

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Whilst there is no legal requirement to report a crime there is a moral duty on every one of us to report to the police anything that you have seen that may be a crime or something that you suspect may be a crime.

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Graffiti in Scotland can be treated as the common law crime of malicious mischief or the statutory offence of vandalism and if prosecuted the offender could face a fine or even imprisonment. The police can also issue fixed penalty fines for these offences.

Under 16's are not permitted to buy aerosol paint cans under the Anti-social Behaviour Scotland Act 2004.

Local authorities are responsible for cleaning up vandalism from public buildings and fixtures. They can also clean it from private buildings and can bill the owner for the work.

Graffiti should be initially reported to the local authority.

If you know someone who is causing graffiti, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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It depends on what type of incident you are reporting. This area of law is very complex so the following is a basic guide only (as there are exceptions).

Road Traffic Incidents -

  • Reportable road traffic collisions (see questions in related information for more details) have to be reported as soon as practicable or within 24 hours in any case. Some forces may not take a report of a road traffic collision after a specified amount of time.
  • Minor road traffic incidents have to be prosecuted so therefore reported within 6 months (e.g. failing to wear a seatbelt)
  • For serious road traffic incidents, there is no time limit when these can be reported/prosecuted (dangerous driving).
  • Please note that a collision only needs to be reported if it is a reportable road accident.
Crime -

Most crimes do not have a time limit for reporting them. The crimes that do have time limits are summary only which means that they can only be tried at a Sheriff Court so are relatively minor offences, they must be prosecuted within 6 months (e.g. common assault, harassment and take without owners consent).

Do bear in mind that the longer the period between the incident happening and reporting the matter to the police the harder it will be for the police to gather the evidence.

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You should contact the local council for the area where the graffiti is located. If the graffiti is on council owned property or if it is offensive/racially abusive the council may be responsible for removing it. If not then the council may be able to advise you who to contact or remove the graffiti at a charge.

See the website in related information to find out your local council's details.

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You should contact the local council for the area where you spotted the damage.

See the website in related information to find out your local council's details.

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You should contact your local council who will usually be responsible for maintained or repairing bus shelters.

See the website in related information to find out your local council's details.

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