GRAFFITI’S GOING DOWN

Partnership work to reduce graffiti is working in Thanet with the number of incidents reported down by 13%.

Covert operations, educational workshops, using a graffiti database, street art projects and a rapid removal service have all helped reduce the number of graffiti incidents reported to Thanet Community Safety Partnership between April and November 2009, compared to 2008.

The successful use of a graffiti database has helped police link the culprit to the graffiti and is vital in providing crucial evidence for police prosecutions.

Workshops with students from King Ethelbert’s Secondary School, Birchington as part of their citizenship GCSE coursework, saw local teenagers surveying their peers on perceptions around graffiti and creating a mural to showcase their views.

Cabinet Member for Community Services, Cllr Zita Wiltshire, said: ”Graffiti can really blight people’s lives, making them feel unsafe and streets look uncared for. We really are pleased that by working together the Thanet Community Safety Partnership has helped reduce the number of graffiti incidents across Thanet and through police patrols, CCTV and a dedicated reporting line, we will continue to see graffiti reduce in the future. To make sure we tackle the criminals behind the graffiti, we still need local people to report any incidents of graffiti on their property or in their street to us, as we can only prosecute if a report has been made.”
To report an incident of graffiti or vandalism in confidence, call 01843 577743 or email communitysafety@thanet.gov.uk To find out more about the Thanet Community Safety Partnership visit http://www.thanetcommunitysafety.org.uk/