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Graffiti
North Hertfordshire District Council's Graffiti Policy: Policy Statement
“The Council policy is to remove graffiti from public view within the boundaries of North Hertfordshire District Council as quickly as possible using a defined operational structure and timetable.
We will do this by a partnership approach to privately owned property and where necessary positively support the funding of graffiti removal (should it be of a racist or have an anti-social/offensive content) from all property. We will work with the community through identification, educational and programmed graffiti removal, using contacts with the probationary service, police and other local groups”.
What is graffiti?
Graffiti is the defacing of public or private property by means of painting, drawing, writing, etching, or carving with paint, spray paint, ink or similar methods without the property owner's permission and, despite any arguments for it’s artistic merit, is, in the eyes of the law is Criminal damage.
Community Impact
Graffiti threatens the quality of life in a community. There is a growing consensus that the problem of graffiti, if left un-addressed, contributes to an environment where crimes of a more serious nature flourish and can quickly degrade a neighbourhood.
Where graffiti is left untouched, property values go down, businesses fold or move on, new businesses refuse to move in. Graffiti is expensive to both property owners and Local Authorities. It takes time, manpower and materials to remove or cover graffiti. Increased maintenance and insurance costs are passed on to both consumers and taxpayers. Customers may be intimidated into shopping elsewhere creating a loss of revenue. In short, everyone pays for graffiti!
Types of graffiti
Graffiti generally falls into three categories:
- Junk - not gang related but often includes obscene, racist or threatening themes
- Gang Graffiti - marks a gangs territory. Used to gain recognition with little fear of arrest. Threatens, shows disrespect or challenges rival gangs.
- Tagging - Taggers put up their graffiti for fame, artistic expression, power, and/or rebellion. A small number of taggers can cause a large amount of damage because of their mission to tag as many places as they can in a short period of time. Tagging is considered an entry-level offence that can lead to more serious crimes.
- More elaborate tags, with the use of colour and 3d imagery are called daubes.
Who is doing it?
- Research has shown that people involved in graffiti:
- Are predominantly male
- Are generally 11-25 years of age
- Are from all ethnic backgrounds
- Are usually trendy and stylish dressers
- Prefer oversized clothing to conceal graffiti tools
- Adopt an individual "Moniker" or "Tag"
- Join or form loosely organised "Crews"
- Seek fame and recognition from fellow taggers
What do I do if I see graffiti?
North Hertfordshire District Council keeps a database of all graffiti, where identified, in the District, if you see a piece of graffiti contact the Graffiti Hotline on 01462 474338.
Once it has been recorded the graffiti will be prioritised for removal (please note that due to the quantity of work at any given time we can not guarantee that a specific piece of graffiti will be removed in a given time, unless it is of a racist or offensive nature).
We have recently come to an agreement to clean green junction boxes on the behalf of NTL. If you see one that needs cleaning please contact us on the above hotline number.