Government joins anti-graffiti battle

Graffiti eradication and prevention programmes cost Auckland City ratepayers about $6 million a year. Picture / Martin Sykes

The Government is promising to come to the aid of ratepayers in the expensive battle against graffiti.

Greater powers for police and councils and hefty penalties to deter offenders are part of a plan outlined yesterday by Justice Minister Phil Goff.

Clean ups, repairs and prevention programmes cost Auckland ratepayers about $6 million a year.

A desperate Manukau City Council, which spends $1 million a year on the problem, is trying to introduce a bill to Parliament next week to get powers that cannot be provided through its own bylaws.

It would allow enforcement officers to demand information from suspects and to issue instant fines and restrict carrying spray paint.

Other councils are considering using the bill as a template for their own bills, though some want to add such measures as a curfew.

Mr Goff told the Aucklander newspaper that local bills were only a start.

He would take the most effective aspects of such bills a step further and introduce other measures.

Mr Goff said he found graffiti an abhorrent act and blight on the environment.

The ministry's crime prevention unit was looking at the most effective of councils' measures and how best the Government could support them

He believed the best approach was a mix of greater powers for police and councils, heftier penalties, more resources for clean-up and enforcement teams, education and the community playing a more active role.

Mr Goff said an amendment to the Crimes Act and/or the Summary Proceedings Act or a separate anti-tagging bill, could be used to give police and councils more power.

He said he was also looking at a "it's not cool to tag" campaign, where taggers are diverted to legitimate art.

Graffiti artists could be enlisted to become anti-tagging role models.

Auckland City Council has briefed Mr Goff on its computer data base of graffiti tags and taggers, which helps investigate complaints.

Graffiti prevention officer Rob Shields said some prosecutions had resulted in consistent taggers being ordered to repay damages of $5165 and $12,500 respectively.

Last week a tagger was given 200 hours' community service.

Waitakere Tag Out Trust operations manager Iris Donoghue was concerned about using hip-hop artists as role models.

"Hip-hop has a tagging mentality ... it's part of hip hop and I don't know how you could separate the two."

The Manukau Beautification Trust's education programme aims to teach respect, pride and responsibility and to encourage youngsters to take care of environment.

Mr Goff's interest in anti-graffiti proposals was welcomed by Manukau City officials.

The council turned to a local bill to achieve some traction after Mayor Sir Barry Curtis tried to get the Government to act upon a remit adopted by the 2003 Local Government New Zealand Conference.

This called for zero tolerance of graffiti and a law change to allow greater enforcement and deterrent powers.

The local bill is available for inspection until August 3 and will be presented to Parliament by Manurewa MP George Hawkins.

Graffiti crimes

* New penalties for graffiti wilful damage could be increased by as much as 10 to 15 times. The maximum fine at present for wilful damage is $2000.

* Clean-ups cost Auckland ratepayers about $6 million a year.