I' it the price paid for a train derailed by rocks on the line, or the stigma of living on a slum estate?
How many times can a council afford to repair btoken windows, replace torn up trees, clean graffiti off walls and pavements? How much is added to the cost of a house to cover vandalism during its construction?
Is wilful destruction just human wickedness or a symptom of a sickness in our society? The balance sheet of wreckage and replacement is a surprising one. There is an amazing degree of agreement about the way to diminish vandalism. But vandals ... here. opinio.' divides. Who they are and how they should be treated are questions which breed questions.
Jeremy Bugler reports on some of the possible answers.
Producer KAY EVANS