Sports club gives vandals a spray over latest graffiti spree in Port Melbourne’s JL Murphy Reserve

A POPULAR sports ground has been targeted by vandals twice in as many weeks, prompting calls for CCTV cameras to be installed.

Almost every surface at JL Murphy Reserve was tagged in the latest graffiti spree at the Port Melbourne sports ground last weekend.

A POPULAR Port Melbourne sports ground has been targeted by vandals twice in as many weeks, prompting calls for CCTV cameras to be installed.

“Nothing was spared” during last Saturday’s tagging attack on JL Murphy Reserve, with barbecues, coaches boxes, toilets and trees all covered in graffiti.

Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss said the reserve was a hot spot for vandals, with eight separate graffiti attacks there over the last six months.

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And the clean-up cost had hit about $5000 at that spot alone since last December.

“I am outraged by this reckless attack ... at JL Murphy Reserve,” Cr Voss said.

“From barbecues and shelters to sports facilities, public toilets and even trees, nothing was spared.”

The graffiti was removed the next afternoon.

Port Melbourne Colts Junior Football Club secretary Annette Maloney said the club was “deeply disturbed” by the latest vandalism spree at the reserve.

“We were embarrassed and sad when we turned up on Sunday,” she said.

“That’s not the way we want to represent our club or community to visiting clubs.”

Empty alcohol bottles and cans were also strewn “all over the place”, Ms Maloney said.

“I’d love to catch these vandals and bring them down here with paint brushes and make them accountable and I want them to publicly apologise to the club.”

Ms Maloney said parents had offered to donate up to a dozen cameras in a bid to catch the hoodlums.

Extra light towers will be brought in ahead of the long weekend and police stepped up patrols in the area.

Cr Voss said the council would consider putting cameras at the reserve following the most recent attack.

“Again our community and reserve users have to stomach the damage, again our ratepayers have to stomach the cost (of cleaning up), and again our staff and contractors have to respond and clean it up,” she said.

“We will consider the pros and cons of installing CCTVs and other measures that could effectively deter offenders before a crime is committed.”

Port Melbourne Primary School principal Peter Martin said there had been similar problems at the school “nearly every night” until they spent $15,000 on cameras.

“It’s the best thing the school’s ever done,” he said.

“There’s been a 95 per cent decrease in vandalism and graffiti since they were installed and I’m pretty sure the same would happen at JL Murphy Reserve (if cameras were put in).”

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers.