Re: Vandalism?

["Alan Erskine" <tdbear@mpx.com.au>]

I'm 34, but I consider myself 'young'.  It's a term of individual
perspective.

In response to the original poster, I seem to recall that grafity was almost
unknown until the beginning of the 1980's.  Then, all of a sudden, there it
was, texta (err, sorry, 'felt tip marker'), spray paint and all.

When I was a child, the worst I ever saw was some 'love' messages scratched
into the wooden furniture of the 'Red Rattler's' here in Melbourne.

A couple of weeks ago, I was on an 'up' train on the Frankston line when
some human garbage (six of them.  Yes, they were 'young', but I don't think
that is the problem, it's more upbringing than anything else) got on at
Kananook.  Within two minutes, three of them were smoking and swearing (the
'f' word etc) and another two of them were scratching coins against the
windows and on the wall panelling.

I got off at Mordialloc station and raced to the ticket office to tell the
Station Master (a woman in her late teens or early twenties).  She was
taking care of another customer, so I politely begged forgiveness for
interupting and said there were some people on the train causing grafiti.

She said that she would finish taking care of the customer first.  The train
departed.

Ten minutes later, I was absolutely disgusted by this 'girl' so I went to
the Mordialloc Police station.  They suggested I should report the Station
Master to her superiors.  I got back to Mordialloc station fifteen minutes
after I got off the train and the 'girl' was still taking care of this
customer.

I waited.

Then, twenty minutes after I had originally got off the train, she finally
finished with the customer.

She reached behind her, picked up the telephone, called the Transit Police
and said "oh, just a customer complaining about grafity on the train that
just left here".  That's all she did!

I asked if she thought if it might be a good idea if I left a discription of
the 'people' damaging the train.  She looked around, got an old envelope and
a pen, handed them through the window and said "if you think so".

I WAS FURIOUS!

I got here superiors name and left a message for him at his office.  Within
an hour of my calling him, I got a call on my answering machine saying that
the attendant had been 'dealt with'.

What can people do, if the people who we, the passengers look to for help,
don't help?????  I can take care of, maybe, one person, but SIX?  I was the
only other person in that carriage.

I think what we need are video cameras in each car.  Some time ago, The Met
trialled such an installation, but I don't think they are still in the
'boxes' on the ceilings of the carriages so fitted.

Perhaps more importantly, I think their should be a willingness on the part
of The Law to prosocute this kind of creature when they are caught.  Maybe a
short amount of time in a detention cell might make them realise it's not
worth it.

Yours sincerely

Alan Erskine
tdbear@mpx.com.au



>
>>Has anyone noticed a significant increase in vandalism on trains?
>>Especially graffiti, it seems once the PTC gets on top of it, it seems to
>>come back just as quick...
>>
>>Something wrong with today's youth?
>>
>>