IT’S a well-known fact that most vandalism happens during the summer holidays when children are out of school and have little to do.

But of course vandalism is happening all year round, as your article titled ‘Forest Patrols’ (November 30) shows.

I think the £4m cuts to Oxfordshire’s youth services budget is making the situation worse. When I talk to my friends about what we should do on the weekend, the answer is predetermined: “movie.”

There isn’t much else for us to do in Oxford – and movies are expensive.

Recently I surveyed 36 people from around Summertown, where I go to school, and found that most believe cuts in youth service activities is one of the reasons young people got involved in the summer riots and other criminal behaviour.

While there wasn’t rioting in Oxford, I believe a lot of youth crime is caused by the lack of properly funded activities. Crimes such as vandalism and shoplifting cost us a lot of money, possibly more than is saved by the cuts.

If more money was given to youth clubs, it would give more young people a better sense of purpose and a lot of costly petty crime could be avoided.

Cosmo Tullar (age 14) Southmoor Road Oxford