Vandalism involves the act of wilfully, maliciously, or recklessly destroying, damaging, or defacing property, whether private or public.
The recorded incidents of malicious damage to property have remained stable over the past 2 years but have fallen in the 5-year period from 2018 by 5.3%.
There were over 48,253 recorded incidents in the 12-month period up to March 2022.
Notably, malicious damage or vandalism isn't always committed out of anger or malice and can often be attributed to boredom or immaturity.
A high proportion of offenders are young persons, with rates higher in rural areas.
A recent case, in which NSW Police have appealed for the public's help was an incident in which 370 bales of cotton were damaged at a rural property in Kiacatoo near Condoblin in the state's west.
