SCHOOLCHILDREN in York could get a reward of up to £1,000 if they shop graffiti vandals in their school.

Police in the Micklegate area will launch the initiative next term as they step up their bid to rid the city of unsightly spray paint daubs.

Officers will visit Millthorpe School and All Saints’ RC School to put up posters showing the six most prolific graffiti tags in the area. Pupils will then be offered a cash reward from a pot of £1,000 if they can provide information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

PC Jackie Scott, who is leading the initiative, said: “Often children daren’t or don’t want to be a ‘grass’, but I think they will come forward because £1,000 is a lot of money for a kid.

“They wouldn’t like it if it was their parents’ property that was covered in graffiti and I really hope they will help us catch the offenders.”

But Scott Butterworth, deputy head teacher at Millthorpe School, voiced mixed feelings about offering pupils a cash reward.

He said: “While a reward for information may prove successful, it does risk glamorising the actions of a minority of young people across the city who are responsible for this damage.”

Helen Fisher, a parent at Millthorpe School, said she supported the scheme as a way of encouraging children to care about where they live, but also raised concerns that it might lead to bullying.

She said: “As long as it’s done discreetly in a way that doesn’t encourage bullying, I think it’s a really good way of getting children involved in looking after their community.”

Cash rewards are one of several weapons being used by Micklegate safer neighbourhood team in their fight against graffiti.

Sgt Neil Wood said they had made three arrests in recent months, including two youths responsible for 54 offences in the Micklegate area and had now received reprimands and final warnings.

He said they had admitted responsibility after officers had visited their schools to examine their workbooks in search of doodles that matched the graffiti tags seen daubed across the Micklegate ward.

Under the banner of Operation Latter, officers have also been dedicating their time to investigative work using the database, Taking Action Against Graffiti in York.

The system allows officers to upload photos of graffiti tags they have taken while on patrol and search for existing tags that might shed light on the identity of the offender.

Sgt Wood said: “Graffiti is a difficult thing to target unless we catch someone doing it and arrest them there and then – and that only happens once in a blue moon.

“But it’s something that affects people’s quality of life and it’s one of the issues that residents have told us they want us to deal with.”