Councils spend an enormous amount of time and money removing graffiti vandalism from their buildings, bridges and other property. You can play a role in helping reduce this cost to the community by reporting suspicious behaviour or recent graffiti as soon as you become aware of it.
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How to prevent graffiti
Maintain your Residence
Keep the appearance of your residence/property well maintained. An exterior appearance suggesting apathy and neglect encourages vandalism. Litter, broken fences, overgrown landscaping, and poor lighting all send a message that property owners are not attentive or do not care. These simple measures are supported by Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles.
What to do if you property is damaged by graffiti
Report it to Police
Contact the police to report graffiti vandalism and ask police to complete a report. In Tasmania, graffiti vandalism can be reported to Police on 131 444. If you have information regarding graffiti vandals or people acting suspiciously, you can report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Remove graffiti quickly
Research indicates the best way to combat vandalism is to remove it as soon as possible, (within 24 to 48 hours). Before removing the graffiti it is important to have it photographed for future identification. The graffiti may reveal a ‘tag’ or signature particular to the offender. Removing the graffiti vandalism within 24 to 48 hours makes removal easier and more effective and reduces the notoriety of graffiti vandals who have the graffiti vandalism on display.
Graffiti on someone else’s or council property?
Ask them to remove it or report it to your local council. If the graffiti vandalism is on a neighbour’s house or business discuss the benefits of removing graffiti quickly and perhaps provide them with a copy of this information. If the graffiti vandalism is on property owned by your local council or a government department advise the agency of the damage.
