Auckand graffiti vandals arrested

Eight of the city’s ten most destructive graffiti vandals have been arrested since July this year and are presently before the courts.

This is a result of a collaborative operation between Auckland City Council and the New Zealand Police to eradicate graffiti vandalism in the city.

Councillor Paul Goldsmith, chairperson of the council’s Community Services Committee is very pleased with the results.

He says,”31 graffiti vandals have been arrested in the past four months, including eight of the ten graffiti vandals causing the most damage across the city. The council’s focus is now to apprehend the next group of the city’s worst graffiti vandals.”

“The 0800 STOP TAGS offender information hotline, which offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of graffiti vandals, is producing good results,” he says.

The council also introduced a new citywide eradication service in July, with contractors removing graffiti vandalism seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The new service has seen graffiti vandalism removed from over 16,000 sites.

“Getting rid of graffiti vandalism demands a zero-tolerance approach and part of this involves removing the graffiti as quickly and consistently as possible,” says Mr Goldsmith.

A single point of contact for all graffiti activities ensures a more effective approach to eradicate graffiti vandalism and provides a more efficient way to record information required to support prevention and apprehension programmes.

The council encourages the public to call 0800 STOP TAGS (0800 7867 8247) with any information they have about graffiti vandals and their associates.