"Yea, well, what can you do?" |
I sometimes hear that when I am out covering up grafitti. Or "They'll just come back."
What can you do? Cover it up. A.S.A.P!
It's simple, cheap and effective, but you have to do it as soon as possible to be effective.
If taggers hit something near you, their message stays there until you cover it. Every time you cover up the tag or grafitti, you help keep our neighbourhood looking better, protect property values and a sense of ease and , importantly, let the taggers know that what they do will not be tolerated. If they come back, you come back. Usually that will only happen once or twice, if ever again.
Every time they tag something they take a risk of being caught so if you cover it up they are more likely to continue in a different neighbourhood. Again, reacting quickly is key. If their tag is gone 24 hours after they put it there, they won't be so inclined to take a risk there again, if it seems futile to them. Let the sense of futility be theirs, not yours.
Cover it with what? Canadian Tire carries Armour Coat brand green and brown spray paint for as little as $4.00 a can; many utility boxes are one of those colours. They also carry a can of grey "rust primer" if you need to cover a lot, or frequently, for about $9.00. Throw in some disposable paint brushes (especially on sale) and you can cover a lot of grafitti for little money. Home Depot likely carries similar products. The colour match will not be exact but it will look better - and send a message. If the vandalised item is wood, that will need a different remedy and speed is even more essential.
Unfortunately, if taggers hit private property, the owner is responsible for removal costs. So is the city or utility or transit company when they get hit - and of course we all end up paying those costs.And costs to businesses, of course, also get passed on to everyone.
Report graffiti as it happens:
If you witness any form of graffiti vandalism in progress, please call 911 immediately and report the crime to the police. Yes, 911- it is a crime in progress. The City of Waterloo and the Regional Police want to hear from you at 911. This is the Bylaw- minimum penalty is $400.00 and goes up to $100,000.00
Report suspicious behaviour - usually someone hanging around where they don't need to be, like schools, street corners, churches, etc, call the non-emergency police number, 519-653-7700. I know many people are reluctant to call the police about something that is not dramatic or terribly dangerous but they are also there for crime like this.
Report graffiti after it happens:
When you see graffiti on property in the city, you can report it by phone to the graffiti busters hotline at 1-855-TAG-FREE (1-855-824-3733) or by email. The faster graffiti is reported and removed, the less likely it is to spread or reappear. Please provide as much information as possible about the graffiti's location.
The City of Waterloo will contact the appropriate property owner or agency and call for the graffiti to be removed as soon as is reasonably possible. With your help, we can reduce this kind of vandalism in our city and enjoy a cleaner, graffiti-free Waterloo.
Visit the Anti-Graffiti Strategy website for more information.
Unfortunately if private property is hit, the cost of removal belongs to the property owner. If you are a private property owner who has not been hit by this vandalism, if we let it continue, it may just be a matter of time. And expense. So please keep your eyes open, especially in the evenings and have the phone handy.
Want to remain anonymous?
Waterloo Region Crime Stoppers is a way for citizens to anonymously report information about a crime. Anyone with information about a graffiti crime can contact police or Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers guarantees anonymity to tipsters. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) to report graffiti.
Online | CLICK HERE to access link
Waterloo Regional Crime Stoppers has initiated a secure website link which can be accessed for your convenience. Your information will be encrypted and forwarded to our Head Office.
Secure & anonymous Tips via Text Message
Send your message to“CRIMES” (274637), and type “TIP152” at the beginning of the body of the message. Your messages are secure and anonymous. Crime Stoppers will be able to reply back to you without knowing your true identity or cell phone number. Your tips are secure and anonymous!
What can you do? Cover it up. A.S.A.P!
It's simple, cheap and effective, but you have to do it as soon as possible to be effective.
If taggers hit something near you, their message stays there until you cover it. Every time you cover up the tag or grafitti, you help keep our neighbourhood looking better, protect property values and a sense of ease and , importantly, let the taggers know that what they do will not be tolerated. If they come back, you come back. Usually that will only happen once or twice, if ever again.
Every time they tag something they take a risk of being caught so if you cover it up they are more likely to continue in a different neighbourhood. Again, reacting quickly is key. If their tag is gone 24 hours after they put it there, they won't be so inclined to take a risk there again, if it seems futile to them. Let the sense of futility be theirs, not yours.
Cover it with what? Canadian Tire carries Armour Coat brand green and brown spray paint for as little as $4.00 a can; many utility boxes are one of those colours. They also carry a can of grey "rust primer" if you need to cover a lot, or frequently, for about $9.00. Throw in some disposable paint brushes (especially on sale) and you can cover a lot of grafitti for little money. Home Depot likely carries similar products. The colour match will not be exact but it will look better - and send a message. If the vandalised item is wood, that will need a different remedy and speed is even more essential.
Unfortunately, if taggers hit private property, the owner is responsible for removal costs. So is the city or utility or transit company when they get hit - and of course we all end up paying those costs.And costs to businesses, of course, also get passed on to everyone.
Report graffiti as it happens:
If you witness any form of graffiti vandalism in progress, please call 911 immediately and report the crime to the police. Yes, 911- it is a crime in progress. The City of Waterloo and the Regional Police want to hear from you at 911. This is the Bylaw- minimum penalty is $400.00 and goes up to $100,000.00
Report suspicious behaviour - usually someone hanging around where they don't need to be, like schools, street corners, churches, etc, call the non-emergency police number, 519-653-7700. I know many people are reluctant to call the police about something that is not dramatic or terribly dangerous but they are also there for crime like this.
Report graffiti after it happens:
When you see graffiti on property in the city, you can report it by phone to the graffiti busters hotline at 1-855-TAG-FREE (1-855-824-3733) or by email. The faster graffiti is reported and removed, the less likely it is to spread or reappear. Please provide as much information as possible about the graffiti's location.
The City of Waterloo will contact the appropriate property owner or agency and call for the graffiti to be removed as soon as is reasonably possible. With your help, we can reduce this kind of vandalism in our city and enjoy a cleaner, graffiti-free Waterloo.
Visit the Anti-Graffiti Strategy website for more information.
Unfortunately if private property is hit, the cost of removal belongs to the property owner. If you are a private property owner who has not been hit by this vandalism, if we let it continue, it may just be a matter of time. And expense. So please keep your eyes open, especially in the evenings and have the phone handy.
Want to remain anonymous?
Waterloo Region Crime Stoppers is a way for citizens to anonymously report information about a crime. Anyone with information about a graffiti crime can contact police or Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers guarantees anonymity to tipsters. Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) to report graffiti.
Online | CLICK HERE to access link
Waterloo Regional Crime Stoppers has initiated a secure website link which can be accessed for your convenience. Your information will be encrypted and forwarded to our Head Office.
Secure & anonymous Tips via Text Message
Send your message to“CRIMES” (274637), and type “TIP152” at the beginning of the body of the message. Your messages are secure and anonymous. Crime Stoppers will be able to reply back to you without knowing your true identity or cell phone number. Your tips are secure and anonymous!
Who is doing this?
Various citizens have described teens from about 14 to early 20's, mostly males, usually with a knapsack and sometimes a skateboard or small bike. They are usually out on weekends although I have seen suspicious behaviour in the late afternoons on weekdays. They may be found around school yards, street corners/utility boxes and parking lots, "hitting" fast and leaving. Someone asked me if they were gangs so I asked. Waterloo Regional Police have no indication that there is any gang connection.One person who know a couple of taggers described them as "entitled, bored kids with nothing better to do".
What else can I do to help stop this?
- Keep your eyes open and call the police if you see any suspicious activity. What's that? People hanging around places they have no reason to be. Glance at empty parking lots, churches, school yards, corners with traffic signs, mail boxes, utility boxes.
- What number should you call? If someone is hanging around but you do not or have not seen them do anything wrong, call the police non-emergency line, 519-653-7700.That also let's these taggers know that the neighbourhood is watching them.
- If you see someone in the act of "tagging", call 911. 911? Yes! Sure, it is not dramatic but it is a crime in progress. The City of Waterloo says to call 911 and so do the police. It is a fact that there are fewer police cars at night so they need our help with our eyes and a phone call.
- If you happen to know people doing this you can call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or go to their web page and submit a tip. You are anonymous when dealing with Crimestoppers.
If you are concerned about anonymity when dealing with this in your neighbourhood, please read below. You can easily remain anonymous and still help control this. And don't forget Crimestoppers, above and on the CONTACT page.
Can you get more pro-active?
- THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE CAREFULLY THOUGHT OVER AND DOES NOT ENCOURAGE OR CONDONE ANY FORM OF VIGILANTISM OR TAKING THINGS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. CALL THE POLICE IF YOU SEE TAGGING HAPPENING. Consider walking around the neighbourhood with a friend or two, especially in the late evening. Be inconspicuous if possible and always keep your own safety in mind - be careful of traffic, wear night- visible clothing and do not confront taggers. If you can discretely take a picture, that may be helpful but again, do not confront people if you have any concerns at all. Do not allow them to see where you live. Again, call the police at 911 if you see tagging happening.
- If you feel comfortable and safe doing so, you can take a picture of people you think are where they should not be. Take a picture of people? Absolutely! You can take a photo of anyone who is in, or is able to be seen from, a public place. Exceptions are where someone has a reasonable expectation of privacy, like their own home or back yard, even if visible from the street. But again, if you want to take a picture, do it discretely or not at all - no need to draw attention to yourself. You can send it to the police or send it to [email protected]. I will forward it to the police for you.
- What about driving around the neighbourhood? That may be helpful. Taggers are wary of headlights - if they see them frequently they may move on. However, besides the extra expense and pollution, you may get distracted by looking out for taggers and end up not driving as safely as possible. Most effective will be many people in the neighbourhood, walking around with at least one other person.
- Spread the word! The small number of people dealing with this in our neighbourhood not cannot do everything so please forward this website to neighbours and talk about the issue with them.
Why bother?
- Tagging and grafitti look trashy and that lowers the property values of your neighbourhood, your home.
- It looks as if people who do not control your neighbourhood are in control your neighbourhood. It's your neighbourhood and it's time to step up now and show them who is in control.
- When that graffiti does get removed from utility boxes, bus shelters, streetlight poles, etc., contractors or city workers get paid to clear it off. Guess who pays for that with higher utility and tax bills?