Amy Hume
MITCHELL Shire Council, in partnership with district police, has put the call out for volunteers to assist in the removal of graffiti throughout the district.
Police are currently investigating a spate of graffiti attacks, predominantly around the Green Hill Estate in Wallan.
More than 10 properties were reported vandalised between last Wednesday evening and last Thursday morning.
Each incident involved spray painted tags including “VS Crew”, “Thug” and “Screw.”
In a separate offence, police charged three youths of a Broadford graffiti gang, aged between 13 and 16, with vandalism last month, and, more recently, a 16-year-old youth for an isolated offence in Wallan.
Acting Inspector Paul Gardiner, of the Mitchell Shire, assured that despite the recent acts of vandalism, Mitchell Shire’s graffiti woes are “not of epidemic proportions.”
He said council and district police were making a fresh effort to crack down on graffiti and vandalism, and were working together, with district residents, to remove the unsightly “tags”.
“Since the introduction of a graffiti removal trailer [last year] there has been a reduction in the amount of graffiti throughout the Mitchell Shire,” he said.
“It’s had a big impact on the removal of a lot of old graffiti and continues to clear new graffiti.
“The project will soon also have the support of the not-yet-released home and business graffiti removal kits.”
Acting Inspector Gardiner said the home and business graffiti kits currently being put together were made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Department of Justice.
He said he was hopeful that the kits would be available to Mitchell Shire residents and business owners in the next two to three months.
Funding for the graffiti removal trailer was similarly sourced through the Department of Justice.
A grant provided Mitchell Shire Council with equipment and a trailer designated for graffiti removal, but under the grant conditions only volunteers can operate the trailer.
said the program was a long-term project that has tackled a range of public spaces throughout the Mitchell Shire targeted for vandalism but there has been “minimal recent interest.”
Experience is preferred. Free training is provided.
If you would like to help clean up the town (public land only) contact Gerard Fean or Joe Watkins on 5734 6200 for more information.
Acting Inspector Gardiner encouraged anyone who witnesses graffiti or vandalism to call 000.
“A lot of graffiti goes unrecorded,” acting inspector Gardiner said.
“There’s no specific area that is targeted in the shire – graffiti can be spasmodic in when and where it appears.”
Anyone with information regarding the recent graffiti incidents in Wallan, or anyone who knows who the “tags” belong to, is asked to contact the Wallan Police Station on 5783 0400.