A St. John’s city councillor says extra security measures in two city parks will hopefully crackdown on the amount of damage happening after hours.

Councillor Sandy Hickman is lead on Public Works for the city says when daytime crews are in the parks, they have no issues with vandalism, but when staff are off-duty, they receive reports of vandalism and arson.

He says the new security measures agreed on by council will see security in Bannerman and Bowring Parks until 9:00 or 10:00 p.m.

With most of the damage occurring in public washrooms, those areas will be the main focus for staff.

He says they’ll be walking around Bannerman Park nearby the washroom to monitor the building and surrounding area. Security in Bowring Park will be in a vehicle to continuously check-in on the four washroom facilities spread-out in that area.

While the new security staff will be in place to help prevent any further damages, Hickman says they’ll also be available to help out residents with other inquiries.

Security will be around all year long to chat with park users and provide information on activities such as skating at the Loop or directions for walking.