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Graffiti
Control
Graffiti
in the UK now costs in excess of 1 billion pounds per
year to clean up. It is recognised that the presence
of graffiti has a real negative impact on the environment
which means that the fight is on, both to clear up the
graffiti and to get the problem under control.
It
is not a matter of simply removing the graffiti and
then hoping it will not return, but it requires an intelligent
approach, using a whole range of strategies.
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Every
street in a Council ward should be proactively surveyed
on a periodic basis and all graffiti and fly posters
removed. This ward clean up can have a major and instant
impact on the appearance of an area,
which will improve the ENCAMS grading for that area.
These
ward cleans are resource efficient with less time needed
by teams traveling between sites in response to resident
requests. The idea being to remove graffiti before it
is reported.
In
order to gain a successful prosecution
it is vital to gather as much evidence as possible and
to have it in the correct form. Maintaining photographic
databases with all the historical data is essential.
Education
is the long-term solution to the graffiti problem. One
of gaining respect of one-another and the environment.
Educating
both children and adults is important and this can be
done through schools, community groups and directly
with residents and businesses.
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There
is no doubt that the rapid removal of graffiti is the
primary weapon. The graffiti vandals like to see their
work on display for as long as possible and to see it
removed before their fellow vandals can see or 'appreciate'
it can be a real deterrent. Secondly, many paints take
time to cure and the sooner they are removed then the
easier and better the results. This research is endorsed
by all Councils.
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Some
areas are more prone to graffiti attack than others.
Graffiti hot spots need to be identified to allow preventative
measures to be mplemented and the limited surveillance
and enforcement resources to be focused effectively.
There
are many practical
measures that a property owner can take to minimise
the chances of a graffiti attack - simple measures such
as changing the colour of a garage door, planting shrubs,
fitting trellis and applying anti-climb paint. The application
of an anti-graffiti
coating to sensitive surfaces may also be beneficial.
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Encouraging
residents to report graffiti sightings and then responding
to the reports promptly is essential. Residents begin
to feel empowered and will continue to report incidents
with confidence in the Council strengthening.
Making
it easy for residents to report graffiti is important
- either by telephone, letter, direct on a web site
or by e-mail.
It
is important to quickly remove graffiti at high level
to deter the vandals from this dangerous activity. There
is no doubt that the vandals will be encouraged if their
graffiti work remains intact at high level when their
other low level work is removed.
As
important as removing the graffiti is investigating
how vandals gained access. Preventative measures can
then be taken to stop a reoccurrence. Examples are the
use of anti-climb paint, erection of higher fencing
or re-siting moveable objects such as refuse bins onto
which vandals can climb.
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Becoming
a victim of a graffiti attack can be distressing. Most
graffiti is daubed on whatever the vandal comes across
and they know nothing of the person living within the
property. The victim however, can feel that the attack
is personal. It is important to not only to remove the
graffiti but also to provide reassurance.
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