MAP

View Valley Street in a larger map

Vandalism

What are the causes of vandalism?

Vandalism is caused by people who think it is funny damage peoples property. Normally cause by peer pressure when told to vandalize they feel they can't say no.

Vandalism can also be committed against minority groups as an expression of racism or religious hatred. It has been found in studies of teenage behavior  that those who commit seemingly pointless vandalism are often shallow individuals who aspire to little other than material possessions, money and feeling jealous of those who have what they don't. It can be the result of bad parenting, or maybe some who are being influenced by bad company. 

How to prevent vandalism

#1

Under camera's surveillance

Install camera to keep watch of most commonly targeted places such as the alleys of the streets. By doing so, those who vandalize would be afraid and fear. Resulting by not vandalizing. 

#2

Educate the public, especially young people about the costs of vandalism.

#3

Clean up vandalism as soon as it happens -- replace signs, repair playground equipment.

#4

If you see anyone committing vandalism, report it to the police or someone who can take action.

#5

Protect your house or apartment from vandalism by using good lighting and locking gates and garages.

References

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_causes_of_vandalism

http://winvanam.blogspot.sg/
http://www.lapdonline.org/crime_prevention/content_basic_view/1382

Stray Animals

What causes stray animals?

Stray animals can be domestic pets that have been given up by owners or have ran away from their houses. Stray animals refers to animals that has no collar which are not owned by anyone and are roaming around the streets looking for food and shelter. The increased of stray animals would be them giving birth and the cycle repeats.

How to prevent stray animals?

Do not feed stray animals as feeding a stray animal just keeps the animal coming back for more. Therefore, property owners should not feed any animal that does not belong to them.

Eliminate urine scent 

The scent of cat urine is horrible! If a cat goes under the house to spray, the scent can travel up into the house through duck work, and it is just awful. Stop them from spraying by cleaning up their scent as soon as possible. Wash the surface down with bleach water and then cover it with a urine odor remover.

Re-homing

Animals that are not reclaimed can then be assessed for re-homing. A centre that offers a re-homing

service must provide the following:

• A clean, safe and healthy environment that meets both biological and psychological needs 

of all animals kept in the centre 

• Quarantine for all incoming animals to safeguard the current inhabitants from infectious diseases 

• Veterinary treatment and prophylactic disease measures should be available for all animals 

• Limitation on numbers housed at any one time to avoid compromising the welfare of the 

current inhabitants.

References

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-keep-stray-cats-away-house-10816403.html

http://www.robinsonpd.org/Stray_Animals.htm

http://www.animalmosaic.org/Images/An%20Overview%20of%20the%20Stray%20Animal%20Issue_English_tcm46-28206.pdf

Pick Pocketing

How to prevent from being pickpocket?

#1

Whenever you are going out to a public place, only take what you need.

Leave behind your valuables at home and only bring out some cash which you need and also your identification card. That way, even if you got pick pocketed, you do not lose everything.

#2

Touching or fiddling with the pocket where you carry your belongings tells the pickpocket where you carry your valuables.

This is a regrettable error and drops a huge hint of where you keep your things not only to the pickpocket but also to the public. Therefore, we must always be careful with our belongings and also keep track of touching or feeling your pocket to make sure that they are still safe.

#3

Blending in

We must do what we can to avoid looking like a tourist because mostly target victims would be tourist. Dyeing your hair or wearing a cap to appear subtle will help. Wearing a sunglasses will help as well. Don't wear brightly colored shirts or anything that makes you stand out of the crowd.

#4

Wear backpacks on your front if you must wear one in a crowd.

It is best not to have anything important in your backpack just in case. Wearing them in the front would be best as you can see if anyone tries to reach out for your bag. 

References

http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Being-Pickpocketed

Littering

What can littering do to us or the environment?

Litter has the potential to cause harm to human health, safety, and welfare; it harms wildlife and environmental quality on Earth. Litter can harm the environment in a number of different ways. It is a breeding ground for disease-causing insects and rodents. Its "ugliness" damages the appearance of scenic environments. Uncollected litter can flow into streams, and storm water drainage systems and local bays. Animals may get trapped or poisoned with litter in their habitats. Cigarette butts and filters, a threat to wildlife, have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds and whales, who have mistaken them for food. Also, containers which collects water will cause mosquitoes to grow and increasing the mosquito population.

Also, if you were to litter a lot, and accumulate all the trash. The trash will pile up around and will look nasty, then it starts rotting and smells nasty. Plus, garbage all over will make us sick because of the harmful bacteria that grows there. 

How to take action to prevent littering?

#1

Educate all your family and friends about littering and how bad it is.

Letting them know the importance of keeping the environment and also the disadvantages of littering so that they will know the consequences or the dos and don'ts of littering. 

#2

Form a community service group.

We can also help in picking up litters. For example, we would go to the beach to pick up the litters that were thrown by inconsiderate people. Help to keep the environment clean and maintain it, whenever we see litter, we should take the initiative to pick it up and throw it into a bin instead of just walking pass it.

#3

Write a letter to the government about using less packaging which creates a lot of litter, or about using more environmental friendly production methods or materials.

For example, using less materials like plastic because plastic is non-biodegradable, it cannot be decomposed therefore leading to pollution. Therefore, using materials such a paper bags would be much better because it is biodegradable. 

#4
Demote smoking.

Because 34% of litters are cigarette butts. Imagine how much cleaner it would be if there were lesser or no cigarette butts at all. Demoting smokers and encouraging them to quit smoking will be better, for example telling them the disadvantages of smoking on how it can damage our health and also cause air pollution.

References
http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Action-to-Prevent-Littering
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090320122834AAdnWCc
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_will_happen_if_you_litter_all_the_time