Call to can graffiti vandals

By Rebecca Fraser
THE writing is on the wall for graffiti vandals amid a Casey councillor’s push to get troublesome taggers to foot the bill for their damage.
Casey councillor and graffiti crusader Steve Beardon is leading the campaign to make vandals both civilly and criminally accountable for their actions.
He said this would allow the council to send a clear message that people who vandalise, spray, or impact upon residents illegally may have to pay the price.
“Local magistrates through agreement with council, could and should take into consideration the wishes of locals for vandals to be seen to be learning from their wilful acts of vandalism,” Cr Beardon said.
“This policy would enable council to tackle the hard-core vandals who are responsible for as much as 90 per cent of all graffiti vandalism.
“Once an offender has been apprehended and liability established and admitted, the offender enters into an agreement with council for full cost recovery of the debt,” he said.
Cr Beardon said councils were fully entitled to seek compensation and cost recovery from vandals and it would send a clear message that graffiti would not be tolerated and was not acceptable behaviour.
“The criminal system has limitations and offenders are often only held accountable for the one tag they are caught in the act of spraying, and graffiti is not a high priority for police — hence the opportunity for council to act and assist,” he said.
Some councillors expressed reservations about whether the council would be able to implement Cr Beardon’s idea.
However, Edrington Ward councillor Mick Morland said he supported the move and said Casey was leading the way in both Victoria and Australia in terms of graffiti management.
In a notice of motion Cr Beardon moved that the council investigate using both criminal and civil legal proceedings against alleged offenders of graffiti and vandalism to recoup clean up and repair costs of vandalism across the municipality.
Deputy mayor Rob Wilson then put up an alternative motion that council officers report to future council meeting reviewing the council’s graffiti policy and refer to Cr Beardon’s notice of motion.
This was subsequently passed.