graffiti vandalism management plan.pdf

____Graffiti Vandalism
Management Plan____

2 WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL / GRAFFITI VANDALISM MANAGEMENT PLAN

____Graffiti Vandalism
Management Plan____
This plan provides direction to ensure
“The most effective crime
graffiti vandalism is managed consistently
prevention/reduction campaigns
across Council and its partners. This plan
will assist in a significant reduction of
involve partnerships between
graffiti vandalism in Wellington.
local councils, community
Progress will be monitored through annual organisations and community
graffiti audits, StopTags data and the
members such as businesses,
Residents Satisfaction Survey. Reporting
will be through the Quarterly and Annual
schools, sports clubs and
Reports.
private individuals – all with
The Ministry of Justice Stop Tagging
a focus on community
Our Place (STOP) Strategy has a main
engagement, ownership and
objective of preventing graffiti vandalism
in New Zealand where it identifies that the
action. As a start, Police and
most effective crime prevention strategies
local government should
involve communities working together.
collectively identify areas
____
targeted by graffiti vandalism
Left: Berhampore School students working on
Paint up: A schools mural project, 2013
offenders, then coordinate
Cover: Volunteers from Te Menenga Pai Trust
opportunities to engage with
remove graffiti from the Wellington Hospital
emergency water supply tank as part of the
volunteer organisations and paid
Newtown Clean-Up project.
staff to prevent and remove
graffiti vandalism”
– Ministry of Justice STOP strategy
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We will work with organisations and
local artists to support the development
of at least six murals each year.
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1.____leadership
The Council has an important role in providing leadership on all graffiti interventions
within Wellington City. Leadership is crucial in driving initiatives which will integrate
actions between and across agencies, local authorities and the community.
Area
Actions
Active participation in the
The Council will actively participate in the
Regional Forum
Regional Graffiti Forum.
Consistent approach with regional
The Council will advocate for consistent
stakeholders (utility companies,
regional approaches to be adopted with
Wellington Regional Council etc.)

utility businesses and the Wellington
Regional Council/Kiwirail (Railway stations
and corridor) so that a similar graffiti
management approach is developed and
adopted with these organisations across
the region.
Local forum and a consistent approach
The Council will develop a local forum
of property owners, key residents and
business association representatives,
the Police, and youth agencies to
coordinate the approach to managing
graffiti vandalism.

Partnership with the community
The successful management of graffiti
requires a community based approach.
The Council will work with the community
in locations where there is a high
incidence of graffiti to develop strategies
to report and remove graffiti, to identify
those who are tagging and to more
effectively enforce this issue.
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2.____prevention of
graffiti vandalism
The goal of these initiatives is to reduce the number of people engaging in graffiti vandalism and reduce the
amount of graffiti vandalism occurring in the city.
The most effective prevention strategies involve communities working together and should engage the whole
community, including young people, media and business groups.
Initiative Actions
Reduce access to tools
Partner with Police and other organisations to assist spray
can retailers and educational institutions in understanding
and complying with the spray can sales restrictions under the
Summary Offences Act.
–  Information is available on-line and as part of a tool kit of
resources for business, retailers, property owners and the
community
–  Promote the Ministry of Justice resources and provide
information on the STOP Strategy to retail premises managers
and staff
–  Assist retailers by providing information and posters on the
prohibition of spray can sales to minors
–  Provide information for school boards of trustees and
governing bodies on their obligations in selling spray cans to
enrolled students for their coursework.
Incorporate best practice
Integrate Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
design principles
(CPTED) principles though out Council:
–  CPTED will be considered and included where possible
when developing policy, strategy, action plans and design
guidelines
–  Develop a best practice guideline for a whole of Council
approach to Graffiti management
–  Develop comprehensive resources to assist the public in
considering CPTED principles in private developments –
online and printed materials
–  Promote the use of protective coatings (laminate, graffiti –
resistant paint) in hot spots and new developments and on all
Council’s assets.
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Initiative Actions
Education and use of media
Council will ensure:
–  Consistent messaging to graffiti vandals regarding zero
tolerance
–  Images of graffiti vandalism will not be used for Council
sponsored marketing and or media
–  Graffiti awareness is seen as a priority and the message
promoted to residents, retailers and community groups
whenever possible
–  Leverage off partnerships with schools and youth groups
and raise awareness that graffiti is a crime.
Develop partnerships and programmes with the community in
Working with the community
areas where graffiti is an identified issue:
–  Developing a community response plan to report, eradicate
and enforce measures to reduce graffiti vandalism locally
–  Support volunteer activities that assist in managing graffiti.
This could include initiatives such as adopt a spot, street
clean ups and community murals
–  Develop a graffiti vandalism removal volunteer programme
–  Work with community organisations to support initiatives
that use green walls to deter and control graffiti vandalism
–  Work with organisations, the police and local artists to
support the development of at least six murals each year
–  In consultation with the residential and business community
identify and target graffiti hotspots.
The further development of graffiti walls will not generally
be supported and removal of graffiti from community murals
is a priority.
The Council’s preference is to support image-based murals
over graffiti-style text based or ‘wild-style’ works, however it
depends on the context for these artworks.
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Prompt removal is the most effective way
of managing graffiti vandalism.
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3.____ eradication of
graffiti vandalism
Prompt removal is the most effective way of managing graffiti vandalism. International research and best
practice shows that the fresher the graffiti is, the more easily it is removed; the presence of graffiti attracts
more graffiti; and prompt removal deprives the graffiti vandals of the recognition they seek.
Initiative Actions
Whole of Council Approach
Streamline and standardise response to graffiti to deliver a rapid
and efficient eradication service.
Develop a collaborative approach with owners of the city’s
telecommunication, transport and rail infrastructure:
–  standardise responses and removal times
–  take advantage of economies of scale with contractors,
resources and supplies
–  connect with community driven responses.
Working with partners – removal of the tag  Establish a process for rapid response and consistency for
and restoration of the damaged area
eradication with residents groups and private property/asset
owners.
Develop opportunities and partnerships with Corrections and
Police diversion schemes.
Work with the Police to ensure graffiti eradication becomes a key
objective through the apprehension of offenders and youth aid
programmes.
All graffiti vandalism from Council-assets
Offensive graffiti will be removed within 4 hours.
will be removed promptly
Highly visible graffiti on Council assets (or adjoining Council
property) will be removed with 24 hours.
All other Council managed assets (or adjoining Council property)
will be removed within 3 working days.
Council contractors’ equipment and work sites will be free of
graffiti vandalism – formalised through contracts.
Note: There may be exceptions to these timeframes in the case of graffiti vandalism over murals, etching on glass,
graffiti vandalism in hazardous locations, and/or where a traffic management plan is required.
Determining whether or not the graffiti vandalism is ‘highly visible’ will be based on the volume of traffic (including
pedestrian) in the area, the size of the message and the determination will be made by Council Officers.
Council assets include property, machinery and equipment, local legal roads (not state highways) and footpaths, parks,
reserves and playgrounds, and buildings and structures.
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4.____ enforcement
Enforcement is reliant on effective reporting and collaborative relationships between the
community, business owners, the Council, Corrections and the Police.
Initiative Actions
Partnerships
Support the Police to ensure graffiti vandalism offenders and hot
spot locations are targeted.
Utilise Police and Corrections diversion schemes
Fully utilise the information and data
Record and share information and data on incidents of graffiti
captured through StopTags
vandalism to include:
–  Photo of the tag and possible identification of the tagger
–  Location and date
–  Graffiti method used (medium and surface)
–  The approximate size of the graffiti vandalism
–  The message and the tag
Geo-code StopTags information and map ‘hot spots’
Identify and share information on repeat offenders.
Share all data information regionally and share with partners,
especially the Police
Encourage residents and businesses to report graffiti to assist in
identifying and addressing frequently tagged sites and taggers.
Utilising current and new
Apply existing legislation where appropriate which include age
legislation
restrictions on the sale of spray cans. This will include working
with schools to make sure teachers and pupils are aware of
and understand the legislation around the sale and use of
spray cans.
In conjunction with our stakeholders, consider options to
further restrict the sale of spray paint and other graffiti materials,
including online sales.
Seek compensation and restitution from graffiti vandalism
offenders through the restorative justice process. Options
for offenders should include graffiti eradication and other
community projects.
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Initiative Actions
Explore different options for the eradication of graffiti on private
property including but not limited to:
–  new graffiti vandalism bylaw legislation
–  explore ways to recover costs Council has incurred when
graffiti is removed from private property
–   partnerships and MOUs with property and asset owners
across the city
This would be accompanied with information including a
step-by-step guide to assist in home removal and engaging
with neighbours.
Note: The Summary Offences Act 1981 (as amended in 2008) for lower levels of damage, and the Crimes Act 1961
comprise the legal framework for graffiti vandalism enforcement.
The Police will take primary enforcement for Sections 11, 11A and 11B of the Summary Offences Act.
Local Authorities will take primary enforcement and compliance monitoring responsibility for Sections 14A and 14B
of the Summary Offences Act.
Police and local authorities to be primarily responsible for enforcing graffiti offences, but the law does not specify a
particular agency.
Graffiti enforcement action should not unnecessarily bring children and youth into the formal criminal justice system.
Below: Wellington City Council funded greenwall at Victoria University. Greenwalls serve as an effective barrier to tagging.
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____and finally____
our partners
Agency Role
Wellington City Council
The Council has a primary role to:
–  promptly remove graffiti on Council property
–  negotiate agreements with regional property owners
–  facilitate community responses to address graffiti
–  provide advice to property owners
–  manage reporting via the StopTags database and share this
information with the Police
–  liaise with and assist police on enforcement
It will also work with community groups and agencies working
with at risk youth with an aim to educate and reduce graffiti
vandalism.
Neighbouring local authorities
Those people who vandalise with graffiti do not recognise
Council boundaries. A consistent approach needs to be taken
across closely neighbouring councils for a management plan to
be effective.
Retailers
Retailers need to comply with legal requirements to not sell
spray cans to minors.
Commercial Building Owners/Occupiers
Commercial buildings are a prime target for vandalism.
The same levels of intervention need to be taken by building
owners for the plan to be effective.
The Council cannot enter private property to address this
without the property owner’s permission and it is also the
property owner’s role where possible to address vandalism
although the Council will support action.
Property owners need to report incidents of graffiti to increase
the effectiveness of enforcement.
Private Home Owners
Private property in key locations including walking routes and
properties bordering parks are targeted for vandalism. Fences,
garages and street facing buildings in these areas are prime
targets. The same levels of intervention need to be taken by
different building owners for the plan to be effective.
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Agency Role
Private Home Owners
The Council cannot enter private property to address this
without the property owner’s permission and it is also the
–– continued
property owner’s role where possible to address vandalism
although the Council will support action.
Property owners need to report incidents of graffiti to increase
the effectiveness of enforcement.
Kiwirail/ Wellington Regional Council
The rail corridor, railway stations, subway/underpasses and
trains are prime targets for vandalism.
Utility Providers
Utility equipment and facilities are convenient spots for
(power/gas, phone, water)
vandalism as they are usually unstaffed, in accessible locations
and have clear faces to tag.
Schools and Agencies working with
Schools provide an opportunity for early intervention and
at-risk youth
education with youth that are or are likely to undertake this
practice. Support for agencies working with at risk youth can
assist by providing alternative creative opportunities.
New Zealand Police
The Police have the enforcement role, but can only be effective
with robust reporting from property owners.
Below: Artists in front of their work at the Newlands Community Centre 2009.
Wellington.govt.nz/graffiti
WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL / GRAFFITI VANDALISM MANAGEMENT PLAN 13

Te Menenga Pai Trust creating the Newtown water tank mural.