ALTON Town Council's initiative in seeking to reduce antisocial behaviour by engaging a team of security officers to patrol its parks and gardens appears to have paid off.
And it has been agreed to repeat the exercise in 2005.
Provided by Woking-based Surrey Business Watch, the security patrol has been operating within the town throughout the summer months and, according to a recent report, has done "a good job" in helping to keep the town council's land trouble-free.
Accompanied by a guard dog, the two-man team has maintained a discreet but visible profile in the evenings, as it patrolled public open spaces such as Jubilee Fields, Anstey Park and the Public Gardens.
The initiative, which ran from June through to October, reflected public concern over the increasing amount of vandalism in areas owned by the town council.
Costing £12,000, the security project is believed by councillors to represent "good value for money" for local council tax payers when compared to the cost of repairing and tidying up after vandals.
According to deputy town clerk Greg Burt, last year proved particularly expensive for the council and its insurers with an arson attack on the pavilion at Jubilee Playing Fields costing nearly £30,000 to put right, and damage to the shelter in the Public Gardens which had to be demolished and has since been replaced at a cost of £10,000.
Other acts of vandalism have included people sawing through wooden playground equipment, theft and destruction of plants, graffiti, broken windows and abuse of byelaws.
This, pointed out Mr Burt, is in addition to the congregation of youths engaging in activities which other open space users find intimidating, such as bad language and drinking alcohol.
In a report following last week's ATC's recreation committee meeting, councillors resolved to provide a similar service next year.
While a winter service was felt to be impracticable, a security patrol is to be engaged to cover British Summer Time, possibly for two to three hours per night.