Taggers: public nuisance No. 1

Thursday, January 20, 2005 5:00

And still they arrive!

The Star's article last Wednesday on scribbling (graffiti) that turned Christchurch into an eyesore over the holidays continues to meet with a huge response from readers.

We are still receiving emails, faxes and letters in the post on the problem?and how you think it can be stopped, and what should happen to the taggers, or scribblers, as we describe them.

Due to the response, we have had to abbreviate these letters, while many others could not be accommodated in today's edition.

# We have worked in the area of cleaning up graffiti vandalism for the past five years, mainly in the Woolston, Phillipstown, Sumner, Heathcote and Linwood areas with Graffiti Busters. I have followed with interest CCC stance and initiatives on this problem. I have seen the CCC spending a lot of ratepayers' money on cleaning up graffiti in other areas of Christchurch, but the problem has not decreased in those areas.

One battle the local police in our area have had is convincing businesses not to sell anyone under the age of 16 sprays or markers. Retailers who sell these products used for tagging need to take responsibility. We used to, in the past with a local school, take out kids they knew had tagged and we had them clean up their own tagging. We found this worked well even though the kids concerned didn't enjoy it.

With most of the taggers being under the age of 16, I feel parents need to take responsibility for what their kids are doing and have them clean up their tagging if they are aware or are notified, with supervision of perhaps local police or other agencies.

If I saw someone tagging my property or any property I would photograph them rather than approaching them, as you don't know what sort of kids you are dealing with, and send photos to the local police.

We work with Orion cleaning up the tagging on green and black boxes in the areas above, and some days we go back to certain boxes which have been tagged as soon as the next day after we have cleaned them to try and deter taggers. Sometimes it works sometimes not. Carolyn, Woolston

# Legislation changes need to be made so that the kids and parents of those kids can be heavily fined and given community service time, not only for the clean-up, but I think also other services to the community. I realise this would inevitably cost more money and take up more court time, but to me stopping these young criminals and getting help for them and their needy families while they are still committing minor offences is extremely important ? otherwise our tax money and courts will be dealing with them as they move on to "bigger and better" crimes. Lynda, Shirley.

# The best thing to do with scribblers is to give them some of their own medicine and parade them around the local shopping centre, covered in some of the paint they so admire. Noel, Hei-Hei

#The following is what I would do with the graffiti offenders. The offender should be made to clean off or repaint over the graffiti, pay for the cleaning agent or paint, and stand up in front of the club or school and apologise for what they have done. The offender should also be made to see a psychiatrist to find out the truth about why he or she is offending. Sally, Redwood

#You refer to a little bit of paint on some fence as a tragedy. It is not really, at worst annoying. The real mess is the travesty of justice New Zealanders face every day with child molesters, thieves and murderers set free to roam the streets. Warren # Unfortunately I feel some pity for the people who do this, as it is usually due to boredom and the inability of parents to give their children some sort of decent holiday over the Christmas period, instead just leaving them to roam the streets. Until more of the media and general public stand up and do something to push the police and Government to take more responsibility and act, then the problem will only escalate further. Barney, Phillipstown

# I am of the opinion that the taggers are few, compared to the number of people who are targeted or forced to view this "garbage art" and what is needed is for somebody to co-ordinate and act on our collective resentment and form a volunteer action group to catch these individuals in the act. I'm sure that with the help of the Christchurch Star these scumbags could lose their anonymity and the community would then have their opportunity to show suitable appreciation. Gordon, Dallington

# We need to charge the youngsters and their parents if they are under-age, as their parents are supposed to supervise them. The parents need to take responsibility for how they are raising their children. Koekie

# The spate of scribbling in Christchurch is disgusting! And Mayor Garry Moore is wrong to say it is "under control." Penalties need to be tougher. Only then might some of these brazen offenders take note, and clean up their act. Babs, Spreydon

# How about something practical such as a punishment that fits the crime? Make the offenders clean up all city graffiti in their own time and at their own expense until more offenders are convicted ? i.e. an open ended sentence ? you'd soon find them dobbing each other in to get off ? but it needs to be properly run. How to catch them? Easy. Use a bit of cheese. Clean up an area of town, you know, a quiet street in Linwood or an industrial area in Waltham or Phillipstown, paint over all over the present graffiti and leave it pristine and inviting: virgin white fences, cream stucco walls . . . then wait. Bill, central city