GRAFFITI PREVENTION TIPS

Graffiti contributes to reduced community safety, retail sales, property values, and adds to community fear. Premises under graffiti attack are less likely to attract goodwill, customers, tenants or visitations.

Keep Surroundings Neat & Clean

Keep your environment clean and neat. Remove litter and trash, fix broken fences, trim landscape, and install bright lighting. An environment that suggests apathy and neglect attracts graffiti vandals.

Remove Graffiti Promptly

Rapid removal of graffiti is an effective prevention tool. Graffiti is easier to remove within the first 24 hours. Research indicates that graffiti removal within 24 to 48 hours significantly dimishes the recurrence rate.

Encourage Reporting

Educate the public about the impact of graffiti vandalism. Lobby for telephone hotlines to report graffiti and establish a website to report graffiti. Setup effective response strategies once reports of graffiti vandalism is found.

Enforce Anti-graffiti Laws

Ensure that any existing anti-graffiti laws are being enforced. Law enforcement dedicated to tracking and apprehending graffiti vandals is a strong deterrent.

Create A Paint-Brush Mural

Create a mural to restore walls that are regularly under graffiti attack. Graffiti vandals rarely tag a paint-brush mural, they are a great way to get the community involved in graffiti prevention. Murals can involve local artists, youth and community volunteers, and the local paint store, which may be willing to donate paint and brushes.

Reduce Access

Make changes to buildings to incorporate access to graffiti vandals. Natural deterrents include shrubs; thorny plants and vines will effectively restrict vandal access. Add lighting to promote natural surveillance. Use fences, controlled entrance and exits, rails, and other barriers to discourage traffic. Limit access to roofs by moving dumpsters away from walls. Cover drainpipes to prevent vandals from scaling them.

Bright Lights

Adding bright lights or lights that automatically switch on when a person enters the premises discourages graffiti vandals.

Use Graffiti Resistant Surfaces

To vandal proof targeted areas use graffiti resistant materials or coatings. Permanent coatings facilitates graffiti removal. Textured surfaces are less attractive to graffiti vandals. Dark colored or colorful surfaces provide a poor canvas for a graffiti.

Monitor Graffiti-Prone Areas

Get the support of law enforcement or private graffiti contractors to step up graffiti monitoring of locations that are frequently hit by graffiti.

Use Safe Graffiti Removal Products

When working with chemical removers use those that are less harmful to the environment. We at Graffiti X , use So Safe Products that are environmentally friendly.

Say No to Legal Graffiti Walls

Do not allow a “legal wall”, or provide permits for graffiti walls as they are largely ineffective and may draw more graffiti vandals to the area. Legal graffiti walls send a mixed message sponsoring graffiti in an effort to rid the community of graffiti. Community records indicate they may work at first, but after a period of time, the surrounding areas also become covered with graffiti. Data also shows no decrease in arrests for graffiti in cities where there are legal walls.

Enquiries

Peter Siegmund
General Manager
Graffiti X
P: 1300 661 941 (Australia)
M: +61 (0)408 491 820
F: +61 (0)2 4950 2585
E: grafitix@bigpond.net.au