Source image : www.westcheshire.net
Walking through the inner cities of the UK, like London and Manchester, you will regularly see the scribbling of ugly graffiti, or what is known as 'tagging' on the street. Technically speaking, graffiti is the use of permanent inks and paint spraying used to deface buildings and other surfaces, in non-authorised places; it is a highly illegal activity.
The main problems it causes is lowering property values, reducing business revenues (to cover costs for the graffiti removal) and giving the impression that a certain area of a city is unsafe because of the association graffiti has with the people who perform the act. I have put together a list of things you can do to prevent or help correct the causes of unlawful graffiti near you.
The graffiti removal process must happen sooner rather than later. If graffiti removal happens within the first day of the attack then the chances of it all being able to be removed are much higher as penetration into the surface hasn't had the chance to happen yet. If you don't want to do it yourself or don't feel you are able to reach the spot where this defamation has happened then there are graffiti removal companies who are experts in this and can deal with most problems, locations and scenarios.
In some areas or if a particular graffiti canvas is considered good by the artist or artists (if you can call them that), it is likely that as soon as the graffiti removal is carried out some more will pop up within the same day! If this is the case then it is worth making you aware that anti graffiti coatings can be applied to problem areas (I will talk about these more in my next article). Obviously, if you do have a problem area and it keeps happening, then it might even be worth installing video surveillance cameras to your property so you can take the evidence to the Police for them to prosecute - it is likely they already have an idea of culprits and have a file on the offenders. Further to this you should take photos of the vandalized area and report it to the Police.
A simple thing you can do to detract the criminals is to install lights and even sensor lights to the problem area. This could help stop it getting to the stage of graffiti removal as graffiti artists tend to strike at night or in covered locations to perform their work as it can take time to produce a piece - if they're in the light they probably won't try it as they will be in serious trouble if they get caught.
If possible, you should make it as hard as possible for the culprits to gain access to your property. Ideas include installing gardens with thorny plants or shrubs near to or to cover garden walls. Also, bins are often used as climbing devices for the criminals to get to roofs, so try and keep them hidden or away from areas that will assist them. Taking the above idea a step further you could install a sensor based sprinkler system so it goes off when anybody graffiti's that area - this can wash away the paint immediately (although you would still need to carry out graffiti removal) and deter the vandals.
Some of the responsibility must start with the property owner - look after your own property and make sure it looks clean and tidy. If a property looks neglected it is more likely the vandals will think, "Well, if anything this will make it look better". All in all, the best strategy to prevent graffiti is immediate graffiti removal within a day of it happening. It is always worth calling your local Borough Council as they usually have a graffiti removal/prevention strategy in place. There are graffiti removal companies out there who offer graffiti removal and anti graffiti coating services, so look them up on Google!
