Vandals and thieves

Abstract

In general terms, the law of negligence is more concerned with positive acts than omissions. Failure to help your neighbour in distress is usually no tort, even though it might not earn any moral approval. The rising incidence of vandalism and theft has led to a spate of cases in which the courts have been required to consider this general principle. In a typical situation, property owned by D may be empty or lacking in security measures. X, as an independent third party, then uses D's property to secure unlawful access to the property of P, the Plaintiff.

Citation

Ross, M.G. (1988), "Vandals and thieves", Structural Survey, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 54-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb006274