Sturt Street business owners have said they are "fed up" with tagging in the heart of Ballarat.
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Cartridge Universe manager and owner Sharon David said while graffiti - particularly in and around Quarry Lane and Leviathan Place - had not taken away from her customer base, it was impacting the character of the region.
"I just can't understand how it (tagging) gives someone a thrill," Ms David said.
"It makes Ballarat look trashy and it deters people from visiting.
"When people see this sort of stuff they get the idea that lowlifes live here and we don't want that sort of attitude associated with our town."
Ms David said she saw an influx of graffiti after the Christmas break.
"There's one on top of our building and I don't even know how they got there," she said.
"If it was something artistic I wouldn't mind but just tagging is a waste.
"It's probably young kids and that's just sad."
She said a potential solution to reducing tagging is to have murals painted on the blank walls.
"People would likely come from all over to have a look at them and that would help our tourism heaps," Ms David said.
"It'd be great if this is something council could initiate."
Similarly, neighbouring Western Hotel supervisor Henry Wines said it would be "amazing" to have murals added.
He also suggested potentially having a "graffiti lane," a concept implemented in Europe where people could freely come and spray paint.
According to Ballarat Police tagging was at its lowest level in at least a decade with a reported 60 offences last year.
"There have been seven reports of graffiti across Ballarat and Moorabool areas since the start of November," Ballarat Tasking and Coordination Manager Inspector Paul Huggett said.
"Graffiti vandalism is far from a victimless crime, as it can have a significant impact on local businesses, councils, and the community.
"This is why local police will continue to regularly patrol the streets in cars and on foot to detect and deter graffiti vandalism."
City of Ballarat chief executive Evan King said the council strongly condemned "graffiti of any kind, but particularly graffiti of an offensive nature".
Over the 2021/2022 period they received 305 tagging enquiries on council-owned property.
"The City of Ballarat is working closely with Victoria Police to create future community programs, aiming to reduce graffiti around the city," Mr King said.
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Anyone found guilty of a graffiti or vandalism offence could potentially face a fine, or even imprisonment under the Graffiti Prevention Act 2007.
Community members can provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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