Vandals caused over £260,000 worth of damage to property in Angus last year but police have yet to catch those responsible for more than half of the incidents.
An investigation by The Courier has revealed that officers in the area recorded 1237 instances of vandalism throughout 2010, with everything from flower beds to car windscreens being targeted. Although police managed to track down 592 individuals in connection with 452 of the offences, the perpetrators of the remaining 785 have yet to be detected.
The worst hit burgh was Arbroath, which sustained almost double the amount of damage as any other town in the county, with 403 incidents being reported to police.
Councillor David Fairweather, who represents Arbroath West and Letham on Angus Council, admitted to being “absolutely horrified” by the figures and called on people to report vandals.
“I think the police are doing a very good job with the resources they have,” he said, “but I think people should try and report any kind of vandalism that they witness.
“If they know the person responsible and don’t feel comfortable going directly to the police, then they should come to me and I will contact them on their behalf.”
Vandals also struck 218 times in nearby Montrose while there were 202 incidents in Forfar and 189 in Brechin. Smaller areas were also affected, with officers called out on 82 occasions to Kirriemuir, 46 to Monifieth and 16 to Muirhead.
They also visited Carnoustie a town which has been sickened after its war memorial was repeatedly targeted and £5000 worth of damage caused to the Christmas lights display 81 times over the period
A Tayside Police spokesman said the 2010 figures showed a “reasonably positive” detection rate compared with previous years.