By Cameron Weston
A GRAFFITI clean-up crew will be established in Newport, providing some much needed help for local traders, some of whom have taken matters into their own hands.
The program is a continuation of a similar system trialled over the past year, which saw people who were convicted of “low level crimes” and given community based sentences put to work cleaning graffiti as part of their punishment.
Police and Emergency Services Minister Tim Holding said the program was designed to stop a “ripple effect” where one piece of graffiti or “tag” led to others appearing nearby.
One-off grants of between $5000 and $20,000 to help community groups deal with the problem will also be offered under the program.
“This funding will enable groups to purchase graffiti-proof paint, extra lighting or other resources that make it difficult for vandals to spread their mess,” Mr Holding said.
The new program will run independently of local councils, although they will be consulted about graffiti hot-spots.
Newport trader Duncan Ward, who runs a business in Hall St, said he would support any program that curbed the graffiti problem in the area.
He said he hoped the clean-up program would prove effective, as past measures had failed to curb the problem.
Mr Ward said a lack of adequate lighting around Newport Station and in Hall St was an important factor in the area’s graffiti problem, as offenders could easily vandalise property without being seen.
Local traders were generally “pro-active” when it came to dealing with graffiti, Mr Ward said, with many painting over the graffiti on their shopfronts themselves.
He said graffiti had always been a problem in the area but had become worse over the past year.
“I think that is probably due to the skate park opening,” he said.
John Andrews, who also runs a business in Hall St, said dealing with graffiti had become a daily issue for many traders.
“We would have cleaned the shopfront about 30 or 40 times since we’ve been in Hall St, for the last two years or so.
“One piece of graffiti shows up, so you clean it. The next day, there is more graffiti, so you clean that.
“They seem to come through on weekends. We come in on Monday morning and there is fresh graffiti on the walls.
“We’ve bought tins of paint and we’ve spoken to the police but there is not much they can do.”
Mr Andrews said he supported the system in principle but would prefer to see graffiti offenders cleaning up, rather than “general offenders”.
He said for many traders, graffiti had the potential to damage how the businesses presented themselves to the public.
“We’ve got clients coming in and we’ve got to make sure we have presentable store frontage. That is our business and that is our image.
“Rebellious young teenagers, or whoever these people are, just don’t think of that.
“It pulls the image down and turns customers away.”
Hobsons Bay City Council said that although it was not involved in the program, it supported a graffiti clean-up program in Newport and would help traders deal with the problem where possible.
“Council relies on graffiti being reported. If traders require assistance in removing graffiti, they are welcome to contact council and council will assist as best it can.”
The council said it was not concerned that those carrying out the work would be doing so as part of a community based order.
