An uptick in illegal graffiti has caught the attention of Julian Leeser, Federal Member for Berowra.
Standing at the site of graffiti vandalism in Thornleigh, Julian Leeser, Detective Chief Inspector Dean Lindley, and Hornsby Shire Councillor, Sallianne McClelland, discuss graffiti and its impacts to the community.
‘What we’ve found most of the time… people don’t report graffiti, which is unfortunate for us. We would certainly encourage people to report it, because if we don’t know anything about it, we can’t do anything about it,’ says Detective Chief Inspector Dean Lindley. ‘We do find that most graffiti is in close proximity to public transport… or a school. We also see an uptick in school holidays.’
Detective Lindley reveals that since October last year, there have been five reported incidents of graffiti across Thornleigh and Normanhurst.
‘The amount of graffiti in Thornleigh, Pennant Hills and Normanhurst has shot up. I’ve had several residents across the three suburbs contact me,’ says Julian Leeser MP. ‘Look at the way it affects the streets. This is not the inner-city, it’s Northern Sydney. It’s known for its quiet, safe suburban suburbs.’
When graffiti is found sprayed on Council land, it is the responsibility of Council to remove the vandalism. However and unfortunately, if it is on private or commercial property, the onus of removing the graffiti is on the property owner.
‘From Council’s perspective, if it is on a Council asset it’s removed really quickly,’ says Councillor Sallianne McClelland. ‘I’d love to see … Council having a trailer or a kit that people can use … so we fund the removal cost.’
Detective Dean Lindley explains that removing graffiti efficiently and in a timely manner is found to be a great deterrent for the vandalism reappearing. Additionally, the community reporting graffiti through the Hornsby Police Station or the NSW Police website, with the inclusion of images, allows police to identify similar taggings and the vandal’s signatures.
The best way to remove graffiti is elbow grease, detergent, or simply painting over the affected area.
