HIT SQUADS TARGET GRAFFITI ARTISTS

Jul 19 2007 Paisley Daily Express

GRAFFITI spotters are combing the streets looking to ‘tag’ repeat offenders.

Two dedicated crack teams keep a watchful eye on neds armed with spray paint cans who leave buildings and children’s playparks looking a mess.

And now they have unveiled their latest weapon in the fight against graffiti – the digital camera.

The council teams are snapping pictures of the tags – their personalised signature – and are now sharing them with local cops in a bid to keep tracks on patterns of vandalism.

And they have also promised to leap into action in double quick time to remove racist or offensive slogans scrawled on local walls.

One insider explained: “The council is committed to cleaning local communities from graffiti.

“We have two dedicated graffiti hit squad vans that respond to graffiti on council property and public buildings throughout Renfrewshire.

“In addition we will also respond to graffiti on private property in areas of regeneration in Renfrewshire. We aim to remove graffiti as quickly as possible, especially racist and offensive material which our hit squads will respond to as a priority.

“We have also developed a stronger working relationship with our partners in the police to try and catch the culprits behind the graffiti. We take photos of all the graffiti we remove and can pass on requested evidence to help the police identify the individuals from their ‘tags’.

“By logging all the graffiti we remove we can also note any patterns of graffiti and alert the police to this and highlight areas which might need extra attention.”

And it’s not just officers from Paisley Police who are involved in the clean-up operations.

Graffiti costs rail firms over £5million a year and the British Transport Police itself has a graffiti database which holds over 1,900 tags.

In 2005, the force – which polices the UK’s railways – sent 569 suspects to courts across Britain and surveys show that fear of crime is made worse by graffiti, as the general perception is that the vandals are in control – not the police.

A spokesperson for the BTP claimed they were working hand in hand with the council hit squads to tackle the problem, saying: “We share intelligence with local forces and other agencies to identify a portfolio of locally known ‘tags’ to help maximise detection for graffiti vandalism.”

Buddies can call the council hit squad on 0800 389 8623 to report graffiti.