A Greek mayor in Attica is hoping to teach vandals and arsonists a lesson by introducing community service as part of enforcement policies.
Ioannis Konstantatos, the mayor of the Elliniko-Argyroupoli suburb south of Athens, is seeking support for his plan which foresees mandatory community service for those found guilty of vandalizing public property or are involved in arson.
According to a report in To Vima, hundreds of residents have already signed the online petition.
Konstantatos, who is also the president of the Union for the Protection and Development of Hymettus, announced the plan following a recent incident with teens in Glyfada involved in arson who were shown leniency as uncontrolled fires ravaged a large part of Mt Penteli.
Ioannis Konstantatos, mayor of Elliniko-Argyroupoli and president of the Union for the Protection and Development of Hymettus.
“Compulsory community service, whether as a secondary sentence for adults or as a reformative measure for minors, is an effective way to repair the damage caused and helps perpetrators understand the consequences of their actions,” he said via his social media accounts.
Among others, Konstantatos’ proposal foresees amending the existing legal framework so that mandatory community service can be imposed on those who vandalize public spaces or are involved in arson, either as an additional penalty for adults or as a corrective measure for minors; lowering the age limit so that community service can be imposed on minors over 14 years of age; and imposing community services in municipal cleaning, maintenance, and greenery, with the aim of restoring damage caused by offenders.
“Citizens feel that social work is a fair and effective way of dealing with phenomena of vandalism and arson,” said Konstantatos, who is also president of the Greek Network of Resilient Cities.
