FOREIGN OWNED TABLOID RUNS TYPICAL 'HIT-PIECE' ON STREET ART

Kingston police charge 100 people during nine-month graffiti crackdown

Article from:

Sarah Wotherspoon

September 04, 2009 10:01am

ONE hundred people have been arrested and thousands of charges laid during a nine-month police crackdown on graffiti vandals.

The crackdown in Kingston council, in Melbourne’s south has also resulted in $98,000 being paid to victims of graffiti through restitution claims in court.

Insp Neil Paterson said the majority of offenders arrested were teenage males who police then discovered were wanted for other crimes including theft, assault and robbery.

The crackdown came after graffiti offences in the area rose 64 per cent in the last financial year.

“Graffiti is a real issue in the Kingston area and it is something that we are working hard towards driving down,” Insp Paterson said.

“We are using a range of powers available to us under graffiti legislation to search suspected graffiti offenders and their homes for any evidence that can link them to property damage.”

He said 47 search warrants had been issued in the past nine months and those arrested had been charged with 1100 offences.

Insp Paterson said police were working on a new case management program for first time offenders.

“We really want to break the cycle of graffiti offenders much earlier on,” he said.

“Offenders can only be referred to the new program by police and in conjunction with Youth Connect, one on one management is provided to offenders over a three-month period.

”We are hopeful that this intensive program will lead to a reduction in offences and will steer would-be recidivist offenders away from a life of crime.”