Light-fingered thieves are putting the safety of the public at risk.

NPDC staff noticed that 12 heavy duty stainless steel bolts had been stolen from a set of stairs near the Coastal Walkway recently. The missing bolts were quickly replaced, but their theft is concerning.

“It’s pretty obvious that the bolts are needed to keep the stairs safe to use. We’re fortunate that the stairs did not fail and that no-one was hurt,” says NPDC Manager Parks and Open Spaces Stuart Robertson.

“We’ve also had bolts taken from a fence recently,” he says.

“If people notice anyone messing about with public structures like these and they’re not wearing branded clothing from NPDC or a recognised contractor, please ring us straight away.”

This theft follows news of a rise in stealing from construction sites around the country, with various building materials being taken including timber, plasterboard, copper and fuel.

Much of the cost of repairing vandalism is factored into NPDC’s day-to- day maintenance budgets. However, in the 2020/21 financial year, NPDC spent more than $44,000 repairing damaged buildings and almost $60,000 removing graffiti.

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