Bayside retailers use videos, photos and databases to fight Church St graffiti

FED-UP with an onslaught of graffiti attacks, a group of businesses in Melbourne’s south has banded together and used technology to fight the scourge of vandals.

Traders including Keiran Cromie are sick of all the graffiti in prestigious Church St, Brighton. Pictures: Valeriu Campan

BRIGHTON businesses have banded together to use technology to fight the scourge of graffiti.

A bunch of Church St retailers are monitoring CCTV, documenting tags on a database and compiling evidence so vandals who sprayed their names on public walls will get caught.

Led by Brighton Travelworld director Kieran Cromie, the 20-plus strong group set up in September is already having success, with several young offenders arrested by police.

Mr Cromie said group members co-ordinated their camera vision, detailed tags to identify culprits, liaised with parents and schools to educate young people, and then handed dossiers to police.

Tags and graffiti in Brighton.

As an example, four juveniles were recently cautioned and forced to clean up their mess, he said.

“We are under attack from vandals destroying the look of our neighbourhood,” Mr Cromie said.

“We were fed up with it so we set up the group to clean up our shopping strip.

“Conducting a co-ordinated response on behalf of traders helping police catch the offenders is the way to work this for the visual benefit of traders and customers.”

Graffiti crimes in Brighton had jumped last year by nearly a fifth, according to Crime Statistics Agency figures, but the latest available figures relates to a period before the group was set up.

Graffiti in Brighton increased by nearly one-fifth last year.

The number of property damage incidences, which includes graffiti, reported to police rose to 139 in the year to September 2016, up from 117 the year before — a 19 per cent increase.

Bayside Council city planning and community services director Shiran Wickramasinghe said the council acknowledged graffiti was a concern.

He said the council worked closely with Victoria Police and the community, swiftly removing graffiti from council property, providing information and education programs and working with young people on graffiti diversion projects.

To liaise with the Church St group, contact Mr Cromie on 9591 9591.

Report graffiti to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.