Vandalism spate in district

Police Scotland state there has been a 47.7 per cent increase in cases in the April to September period compared with the same period last year.
In a report, Chief Inspector Irvine Watson described it as a significant increase and various enquiries were ongoing in an attempt to identify and trace offenders.
He told Annandale and Eskdale area committee on Wednesday: “The sporadic nature of these crimes make them very difficult to detect.
“Although some of these crimes have been aligned to youth disorder, which undoubtedly is the case, many are committed by adults and some are due to neighbour disputes.”
The Chief Inspector added: “It is also noted that some individuals have been specifically targeted and advice and support have been offered to these victims.”
He also said that vandalism figures were high when compared to the previous year but added that when compared to the last five years they were pretty much on par across the division.
He said: “Understanding what caused the increase last year is being investigated.”
District-wide there were 130 cases reported which was up by 42 on the same period last year with a 33 per cent increase in Annandale North; up by 54.5 per cent in Annandale South and an increase of 59.1 per cent in Annandale East.
The detection rate, he revealed, had dropped by 16.5 per cent to 35.9 per cent.