Residents of Ballintoy Park subdivision in Welcome Bay are at the end of their tether after enduring months of tagging and vandalism.

New homes being built in the area have been sprayed with graffiti, letter boxes have been ripped of their posts, and a hut built by local kids destroyed.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, says the vandals are known to live in the subdivision.

'They've been all down Waikite Road, they've tagged what looks like a pump house by Welcome Bay School. They've been busy little s****.”

He says the police are aware of it, as are the parents of the alleged vandals.

But the former have been unable to act without hard evidence, while the latter seem to be turning a blind eye to it.

'The police say you need to catch them in the act to have good, hard evidence. What's going to happen, and because there doesn't appear to be any remorse from the parents, is people are getting irate. Sooner or later someone's going to catch one of these guys and there'll be fisticuffs.

'For the sake of all property owners in the area, keep your eyes out for any suspicious kids around and inform the police crime stoppers line immediately with a clear description.”

Western Bay of Plenty acting prevention manager Senior Sergeant Mark Pakes says police are aware of how distressing damage to people's homes and personal property can be.

'We urge residents to report any instances of damage to police as soon as possible, and to look out for your neighbours,” says Mark.

'Unoccupied building sites can be tempting locations for vandals or thieves, and we'd encourage anyone who sees anyone on a building site that looks as though they do not belong there, to call police.

'It's also important as much as possible to leave building sites free of desirable items like tools or machinery, to limit opportunities for theft or damage.”

He says if people see anyone suspicious in the act of committing an offence, call 111 immediately with as much detail as possible.

'If you discover damage after the fact, please also report this to police. This helps staff determine any trends happening locally and allows us to deploy our resources appropriately.”