Graffiti offences, Atherton
March has seen a sharp increase in reports of graffiti vandalism across Atherton.
A 15-year-old Millstream boy was charged with two counts of wilful damage and one count each of possessing a graffiti instrument and a knife in a public place.
It will be alleged on March 10; he graffitied his name across two Silo Road businesses. On March 13, a 19-year-old man was charged with three counts of graffiti. Between March 4 and March 7, he attended a Grace Street sports ground. It will be alleged he has graffitied a mural.
He is scheduled to appear at the Atherton Magistrates Court on April 12.
A door of a house on Cecily Street was graffitied between March 9 and March 12. Police are seeking anyone with any information about his matter to contact Policelink and quote QP2300448664.
Graffiti is a crime that may result in a hefty fine.
The top five impacts graffiti vandalism has on the community are:
- Removal is expensive – the actual cost of graffiti is a community burden.
- The average cost of removing graffiti in Australia comes with an annual bill of $1.5 billion, and the ratepayers directly fund this cost.
- It drives away business – many people associate graffiti with a general decline in the area, indicative of crime.
- It erodes the community – the negative perception of graffiti vandalism can send property values plummeting.
- It is toxic to the environment – aerosol sprays used for graffiti emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Also, the cleaning substances used to get paint off the walls are harmful.
The above points show that graffiti is a community problem, and it needs a community response to assist police and the council in controlling graffiti in Bundaberg.
