An Armidale fencing contractor has spoken out about the frequency in which vandal attacks are occurring at the Armidale Railway Station. Last Wednesday morning, Paul Halloran and a staff member were (once again) repairing the fence enclosure in which the CountryLink Explorer Train overnights in Armidale. Mr Halloran said that the vandals have been cutting their way through the fence, then spray painting large multi-coloured tags on the carriages. On top of the fencing bill, it is estimated that each carriage costs in excess of $10,000 to clean off on almost every occasion.
Mr Halloran has been called in to repair the vandal-damaged fence at the Armidale Railway Station a total of six times since June 19.
While this vandalism may mean income for his fencing business, Mr Halloran said that he was moved to raise the issue publicly because he fears for the future of the rail service. “If this keeps up and it continues to cost so much for the train to come to Armidale, we may lose the CountryLink service,” he said.
These frequent, costly vandal/graffiti attacks at the Armidale Railway Station have occurred despite regular patrols by private security contractors.
The community has been urged to be vigilant. It is understood that incidents of graffiti are often not reported to Police when they should be, so that Police can be aware of them and target patrols to such a hot-spot.
Story: Gary Fry
