Reward to 'shop' graffiti taggers (From Watford Observer)

Reward to 'shop' Watford graffiti taggers

1:28pm Thursday 27th November 2008 in News By Michael Pickard

Loors, Kems, Veil, Android, Selter, Law and Klame – the tags of notorious graffiti artists wanted by police for causing “mindless vandalism”.

And residents who “bag a tagger” could earn themselves a £250 reward.

Community police officers and Watford Borough Council, as members of the Safer Watford Partnership, have teamed up to try and identify the people behind the tags, in an attempt to clean up sections of the town.

And the reward is on offer to anyone who “shops” the culprits to the police or the council.

Between April and September this year, Watford Borough Council treated nearly 5,000 incidents of graffiti. Most were on private houses or commercial properties, and although the council does not have a duty to clean graffiti from private property, it does provide a free graffiti removal service across the community.

Community officers suspect it is a group of two or three young people behind the tagging and have been cataloging their work for the past six months.

Popular graffiti sites include subways and underpasses, but some tags have appeared in Watford high street.

PCSO Scanlon said: “It's died down a bit now but especially over the summer there were a lot in town and the neighbouring areas.

“They do quite a lot so it looks like a large group but we believe it's only a few. There are only two or three colours so we think they're just swapping cans.

“We're working with the council to try and tackle it and deter them from doing it again. It's just mindless vandalism at the end of the day.”

Officers are now appealing to friends and family who may know who it is to call them with the names of the taggers.

Cleaning graffiti costs councils thousands of pounds, which ultimately hits taxpayers in the pocket.

PCSO Scanlon said: “It's unsightly and it's their parents who will be hit in the pocket because of council tax because that's where it's being paid from.

“It's in everybody's best interests that they're shopped in.”

She moved to reassure residents, however, that anti-social behaviour in Watford is falling, with only a “small minority” of people doing this type of graffiti.

Watford Borough Council Community Safety Officer, Liam Fitzgerald, added: "Graffiti is not a victimless crime - it is criminal damage to buildings and property which is both unsightly and costly to remove. If left unchecked it can ultimately affect business and send signs of decay to the local community, increasing the fear of crime."

Anyone with information about these or other taggers, such as a description of the person, where and when it happened, should telephone 01923 472037. All calls are confidential and can be anonymous.