Graffiti

What is graffiti?

  • An illegal, antisocial activity that creates a negative impression of an area and contribute to people’s fear of crime.
  • The most common type of property vandalism.
  • Often the first element in a spiral of decline. If graffiti is not removed others will feel free to add to it.
  • A form of pollution with one group of people imposing themselves on everyone else.

What we will do.

We will look to take action against those who are responsible for graffiti. Since the beginning of April 2006 we now have the powers to issue fixed penalty notice against offenders.

We can also require owners of property to remove any graffiti and issue fines against owners who refuse to do so.

If graffiti appears on our own buildings, we will remove it as a matter of urgency.

button | Report graffiti
text | Graffiti

What can be done about graffiti?

Prevention

There are a number of tools available to tackle the problem of graffiti. The Government has introduced a ban on the sale of spray paints to under 16’s to tackle the source of the problem by taking away the means to graffiti.

Ways to deter graffiti

  • Planting shrubs and other vegetation to make vulnerable areas inaccessible
  • Prompt removal
  • Use materials and surfaces that make graffiti vandalism difficult
  • Education
  • Apply a clear coat finish to protect painted and unpainted surfaces and use protective film coverings on windows
  • If you see anyone committing vandalism, report it to the council, police, school authorities, or someone who can take action. Remember, vandalism is a crime
  • Using pastel shades for communal areas rather than white, magnolia or traditional colours reduces graffiti attacks

Graffiti Prevention Tips for Businesses and Freeholder

Ongoing upkeep

  • Make every effort to keep the appearance of a facility clean and neat. An exterior appearance that suggests apathy and neglect attracts vandals
  • Littered car parks and drives, existing graffiti, broken fences, overgrown landscaping, and poor lighting all send a message to vandals that business owners are not attentive or do not care about the business
  • Rapid and continual removal of graffiti is the best way for businesses and commercial property owners to protect the image of their street and preserve customers’ sense of security. Studies show that removal within 24 to 48 hours results in a nearly zero rate of reoccurrence

Control access

  • Incorporate shrubs, robust plants, and vines to restrict vandal’s access
  • Add or improve lighting around the building to promote natural surveillance
  • Use fences, controlled entrances and exits, rails, and other barriers that discourage through traffic
  • Limit access to roofs by moving Euro bins away from walls and covering drainpipes to prevent vandals from scaling them

Step up security

  • Install some type of security camera
  • Organise a ‘Business Watch’ with nearby shop keepers to keep tabs on a business area. Businesses may want to employ security personnel to monitor property
  • Don’t allow a ‘legal wall’ or an area that permits graffiti, at your business; they are largely ineffective and may draw more graffiti vandals to the area
  • Employ graffiti resistant materials or coatings on a chronically hit wall

What you can do to help

  • Report graffiti for removal as soon as it is seen completing this online form
  • Telephone 01427 676676 during weekday working hours to report an incident
  • Contact customer services using the general enquiries form detailing the information
  • Tell the officer precisely the nature of the graffiti (whether it is racist, sexist or obscene) and the location
  • Plant shrubs or trees to restrict vandal’s access
  • Use fences, controlled entrances and exits, rails, and other barriers that discourage access
  • Limit access to roofs by moving bins away from walls and covering drainpipes to prevent vandals from scaling them