Vandals leave us a hefty price tag

Vandals have gone on a spraying spree during the COVID-19 crisis, costing ratepayers in Rockingham and Kwinana tens of thousands of dollars. The City of Rockingham, alone, was called in to remove 215 graffiti incidents just last month. Data from the City’s Litterbusters team revealed 165 City assets, 11 State-owned utilities and 39 private properties were targeted from March 1 to 31 — an increase of 38 per cent compared with March 2019. The clean-up of graffiti, which represented a spike of 108 per cent in square metres of property damaged compared to this time last year, cost ratepayers $21,294 to remove. The central suburb of Rockingham was the hardest hit of anywhere in the local government area. The City spent $159,002 on graffiti removal in the 2019-20 financial year, down from $313,441 in 2018-19. Meanwhile, the City of Kwinana recorded 48 incidents in March, compared to 20 incidents in March last year. Mayor Carol Adams said despite the statistics, residents had not raised graffiti as a specific concern in recent weeks. “This is perhaps because graffiti is removed soon after it has been reported or identified,” she said. The City of Kwinana has spent about $85,000 per annum on graffiti removal in the last three years. According to the City, incident locations varied, but mainly occurred along the railway line in Wellard and Bertram as well as in the City Centre. Mayor Barry Sammels said the City of Rockingham had a multifaceted approach to reducing and preventing the impact of graffiti in the community. “The City’s LitterBusters rapid response team is tasked with removing graffiti as soon as possible,” he said. “This quick response time helps neutralise the motivation for vandalism by limiting the exposure and recognition it receives. “In addition, the City provides educational awareness programs in partnership with community organisations and WA Police, with a focus on preventing graffiti.” The mayor would not be drawn on whether or not boredom due to COVID-19 restrictions was a contributing factor. “The impact of social distancing and school holidays on the incidence of graffiti is unclear,” Cr Sammels said. To report graffiti vandalism visit goodbyegraffiti.wa.gov.au.