Public urged to report graffiti

Hastings residents are being urged to remain vigilant over the reporting of graffiti.

Taggers continue to operate around the district all year round but a seasonal upsurge generally coincides with the beginning of the school holidays.

Graffiti is an act of vandalism that costs thousands of dollars to repair every year in the Hastings district. It can lower property values and suggests that the neighbourhood doesn't care or isn't able to cope with the problem. Graffiti that is not painted out soon after it is discovered, encourages further tagging which could lead to more serious crime.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule says vigilance from the public is the best way to combat this anti-social behaviour. “The sooner Council is alerted to the graffiti, the sooner we can get it painted out. Recent incidents have shown taggers are becoming more brazen, going up driveways or onto properties to tag houses or painting graffiti in very public areas.”

Mr Yule says “The vast majority of Hastings residents are proud to live in their city and keeping a lid on graffiti is central to increasing civic pride. There are no particular areas that are harder hit than others – it’s everywhere. Council has had success in identifying taggers in the past and we are serious about reducing the amount of graffiti even further.”

Hastings District Council provides a free graffiti clean-up service for public areas, schools, businesses and homes and free graffiti removal spray is available to the public from the Council Service Centre in Lyndon Road.

Council’s Environment Enhancement team asks that the property owner takes a photo of the tagging before it is erased. This information can be crucial in helping the police track, apprehend and prosecute graffiti vandals. The photo should be emailed to cleanup@hdc.govt.nz for entering into our database.

You can report incidents of tagging on the Graffiti Hotline – 0800 664 723. Alternatively, you can report tagging and sign up for the graffiti removal service online at www.nograffiti.co.nz/