Graffiti Information
The following information outlines the impact of graffiti on the community and its legal consequences. It also provides general guidance on how to remove and prevent graffiti.
The cost of graffiti
Graffiti is a crime
Graffiti Removal
Graffiti Prevention
The cost of graffiti
Graffiti affects everyone - business owners, residents, NSW Government, utilities, public transport operators, Local Governments. Graffiti may also be associated with increasing a community’s fear of crime.
In addition to the costs associated with removing graffiti, the behaviour can have a substantial health impact on offenders. The application of graffiti along train tracks, train corridors, train tunnels or on trains is a dangerous activity and in many instances has resulted in serious injury or death. The health impact of aerosol fumes on offenders is also a serious concern.
Graffiti is a crime
Stringent penalties in the Crimes Act 1900 and in the Summary Offences Act 1988 have also been introduced to deal with graffiti crime. Under section 195 of the Crimes Act a person who maliciously destroys or damages property belonging to another is liable to a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 5 years. If the destruction or damage is caused by means of fire or explosives, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 10 years.
In the Summary Offences Act the penalties for graffiti offences are:
- Section 10A - damaging and defacing property by means of spray paint, maximum penalty $2200 or imprisonment for 6 months, or a period of community service work.
- Section 10B - possession of spray paint, maximum penalty $1100 or imprisonment for 3 months, or a period of community service work.
- Section 7 - damaging fountains erected in a public place, maximum penalty $440.
- Section 8 - damaging or desecrating protected places, maximum penalty $2200.
- Section 9 - wilfully marking, by means of chalk, paint or other material, any premises, where the marking is within view from a public place unless the consent of the occupier or person in charge of the premises is first obtained. The maximum penalty is $440.
Where a young person commits an offence involving graffiti or vandalism and that young person appears before the Children’s Court, the Court is able to make an Order under section 5 of the Children (Community Services Orders) Act 1987 requiring the person to perform community service work. The Order may also require the young person to:
- remove graffiti from buildings, vehicles, vessels and places; and
- restore the appearance of buildings, vehicles, vessels and places after removal of the graffiti.
Graffiti Removal
You do not have to accept that once your property has been subject to graffiti it is there to stay. One of the more effective strategies against illegal graffiti is to remove it as quickly as possible and to persist in removing it.
- Graffiti can be removed.
- Graffiti is always more easily removed if done as soon as possible after occurrence and before the paint has fully dried.
Painted or protected surfaces:
These include wood, metal, stone or concrete or another surface that has a topcoat to protect it.
- These surfaces are easier to clean because the graffiti doesn’t sink in below the surface.
- To remove graffiti from these surfaces it is best to use a common solvent or a commercial remover.
- To find the most effective cleaner, try small areas with graduated intensity of cleaner, commencing with detergent, methylated spirits, turpentine or white spirit and finally acetone.
Painting Over Graffiti:
As a last resort, painted surfaces can be painted again. However, it is helpful to remember some basic points when painting over graffiti:
- Clean the surface well, try to remove the graffiti as much as possible first.
- Try to get the closest match possible to the original paint or surface finish or
- If the original surface is not a colour, choose colours that match the surroundings, are neutral or don’t draw attention.
- Paint over in clean square shapes. Try to blend it in to surrounding areas by overlapping or covering nearby areas.
- Cover the graffiti completely, ‘bleed through’ will only encourage ‘having another go’.
Bare or Raw Surfaces:
These include stone, concrete, brick, wood and metal. The harder and smoother the surface, the better the chances of removing graffiti without damage or visible change.
Here are two removal methods that can be effective on these types of surface:
- Apply a solvent or proprietary remover wait three to five minutes then use a wire brush, rinsing with water to remove the graffiti.
- For heavily affected areas apply commercial paint stripper (make sure the surface is dry), wait three to four minutes, then scrub with a wire brush and solvent. Wash the paint stripper away taking care not to splash it on clothing or skin. Use a hose or pressure washer to remove as much as possible.
Glass, Plastics, and other Synthetics:
It is fairly easy to remove graffiti from glass as long as the surface hasn’t been etched, gouged or scratched. Most removers will work well on glass. Caustic cleaners should not be used on or near glass or aluminium. Greater care needs to be taken with plastics and other synthetics.
Graffiti Prevention
Make changes to build-in graffiti prevention:
- Incorporate natural deterrents, such as landscaping. Shrubs, thorny plants and vines will effectively restrict vandal access.
- Plan or add lighting to promote natural surveillance.
- Use fences, controlled entrance and exits, rails, and other barriers that discourage through traffic.
- Limit access to roofs by moving dumpsters away from walls and covering drainpipes to prevent vandals from scaling them.
- Use graffiti hoods to buffer freeway signs.
- Incorporate metal baffles on sign poles, similar to squirrel baffles on bird feeders.
- Use Protective Coatings which can: Make removal easier and more effective; Reduce the harmful physical effects on a surface of graffiti materials; Reduce the harmful physical effects of the removal; Process itself.
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