BALLARAT police say they are working hard to tackle the city’s growing graffiti problem, but the community needs to help by reporting graffiti to authorities.
Ballarat City Council say there has been a “noticeable increase” in graffiti in Ballarat in recent months and are preparing a report on the matter.
Sergeant Peter Carey said police were actively investigating all acts of vandalism in Ballarat, including graffiti.
“Police are certainly aware that it’s happening and we’re interested in hearing from the community about any new acts of graffiti,” he said.
“If you notice any new tags, let us know so we can follow them up.”
Sergeant Carey said if found guilty, offenders could receive a criminal record and even spend time in jail.
“If a kid at the spur of the moment decides to tag a building, they could receive a criminal record which sticks with them for life,” he said.
“That will make it a whole lot harder to get a job and will generally make life a lot harder.”
Sergeant Carey said reports of graffiti were put into a database, allowing police to track problem areas and trends over time.
Ballarat police crime prevention officer Janine Walker said she had noticed a “slight increase” in graffiti around the city after a paint supply company was broken into late last year.
“Just from my observation, there seems to be more (tags) along the main thoroughfares lately,” she said.
“One building in Eureka Street is particularly bad — it’s just become a big billboard for everyone else to spray tags on there.”
A report dealing with the issue of graffiti will be presented to Ballarat City Council in coming weeks.
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