The problem

It is estimated that graffiti costs the UK over £1 billion per year to clean up. Graffiti is ‘Signal Crime’, in that it can affect an individuals assessment of security and well being, leading to the decline of an area and a lack of respect for the place in which people live, work and play. Tagging, the term used to describe the defacing of walls with scruffy signatures, is an eyesore. These graffiti tags can be any size shape or colour. The offenders generally target fences, walls, staircases, street furniture, playground equipment and in some cases cars. These tags make the area look dirty and uncared for.

How Can I Help?

Anyone who recognises a tag or has information on those responsible for graffiti can contact their local Police to pass on details of know or suspected offenders, alternatively you can telephone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

What is the law on graffiti?

People caught committing graffiti can be arrested and prosecuted under the Criminal Damage Act 1971.

The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 introduced new powers for local councils to punish offenders and to help them clear up graffiti. These include:

• Allowing local authorities to issue on the spot fines (fixed penalty notices) of £50 to people caught causing graffiti. These can be issued by Police Officers, Community Support Officers or Local Authority Officials.
• Giving local authorities the power to issue clean up notices to owners of street furniture such as phone boxes. If the property is not cleaned in 28 days the authority can remove the graffiti themselves and charge the owner for this service
• Making it an offence to sell spray paint to under 16’s. If a shopkeeper can’t prove they took reasonable steps to determine the purchase age, they can be fined up to £2,500

What Should I do if I see graffiti?

Find a Neighbourhood Warden: Many Councils employ Neighbourhood Wardens to patrol streets and report crime, vandalism and graffiti.

Contact the Police: If you spot an offence being committed or have details with respect to offenders or suspects, call the Police. For incidents at railway depots, train stations and public transport you can contact the British Transport Police.

Contact the Council: Local Authorities will seek to clean up racist/homophobic/Sexist or obscene graffiti as quickly as possible post any Police investigation. You can also report graffiti on highway or street furniture such as phone boxes to your local Council. Multi-agency partnerships* have in many areas been implemented to assist with removal of graffiti.

*Your local Council Community Safety/Regeneration officer or local Police Community Safety Officer will be in an position to assist you with details of any such projects.

Set up a local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

A vigilant community is a safer community! By becoming part of an existing scheme or setting up a new scheme you can engender a strong sense of community. Your local Police Community Safety Officer/Neighbourhood Policing Team will be in a position to advise you on Neighbourhood Watch status for your area. Activities in some schemes around the County have included removal of graffiti with community ‘Action’ days. There is evidence to suggest that the rapid removal of graffiti really works. Graffiti artists thrive on seeing their work up and getting attention for a prolonged period of time. Responding to graffiti quickly means that they don’t get this exposure.

Tag database

Warwickshire Police has set up a Graffiti database, which aims to record graffiti tags that will help prosecute frequent graffiti offenders. The reporting of known or suspected graffiti offenders to your local Police or anonymously to Crimestoppers is important in tackling this quality of life issue.

Working Together!

A multi-agency approach with support from the wider community is clearly essential towards working towards reducing graffiti crime within our neighbourhoods and will help in:

• Identifying areas suffering high levels of graffiti.
• Detecting and prosecuting current offenders.
• Cleaning off graffiti.
• Working with graffiti writers to find alternative legal forms of artistic expression.
• Education of potential offenders.