Lord Mayor Sally Capp’s hi-tech plan to clean up city’s graffiti scourge

Lord Mayor Sally Capp says Melbourne Council has been inspired by Singapore to consider an app to help combat the city’s worsening graffiti problem.

Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Sally Capp in Singapore. Picture: Twitter

The City of Melbourne will consider introducing an app to combat the city’s graffiti scourge in real-time.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp exclusively revealed to the Saturday Herald Sun she was “hellbent” on tackling the city’s graffiti problem, saying the council was considering the launch of an app that would allow people to directly report graffiti and other issues directly to the council.

It comes after Ms Capp’s recent $5000 taxpayer-funded trip, which was centred on checking out Singapore’s approach to graffiti at the World Cities Summit this week.

Bourke St in Melbourne’s CBD is repeatedly hit by taggers. Picture: Tony Gough

“The biggest learning for us in Singapore is the most significant step we can take is to have an app and for it to be ours so we can collect the data,” she said.

“The analysis of data is really important to become more responsive to identify where there are hot spots and certain types of tagging.

Melbourne City Council has undertaken 21,851 graffiti removal jobs so far this year.

“Having an app that has a co-ordinated back office is really important and that’s the Singaporean experience … They focused on making it easy for users and co-ordinated departments across the back-end.

“We are encouraging and empowering citizens to be our eyes and ears as well to help us respond to issues as quickly as possible and that is something Singapore has been able to do through this new app.”

Melbourne’s popular Degraves St is covered in Graffiti. Picture: Tony Gough

It can also be revealed that the council has undertaken 21,851 graffiti removal jobs so far this year – more than any other full year since 2019.

More than 75 per cent of graffiti has been scrawled on privately owned commercial buildings and private assets, while only 12 per cent was on City of Melbourne owned assets.

Ms Capp said her $5000 jaunt was “justified” on many levels.

“At a time when we’re opening up again to the world we want to be out there in an international context resoundingly saying that we are open and that we welcome their interest and investment and visits to our city.

Sally Capp says she is determined for Melbourne to regain its spot as most liveable city. Picture: Tony Gough

“We have to do that because everyone is trying to do exactly the same thing. When you think about attracting international students, attracting workers, attracting investment – we have to be loud and proud on these things.”

She said she was determined for the City of Melbourne to regain its number one spot as the most liveable city.

“These are conversations every day that we’re having and when I get to go to forums like that where you can soak up so many ideas including what’s working and what’s working well, it helps not to repeat the mistakes.

More than 75 per cent of graffiti has been scrawled on privately owned commercial buildings. Picture: Tim Carrafa

“Being able to speak to investors is absolutely vital for our ongoing revitalisation and I was able to have many of those meetings while I was in Singapore.

“We’ve come home with some really concrete ideas and things that I think we can implement relatively quickly.”

Ms Capp said the council was working with employers to assist with workers returning to work in Melbourne’s CBD.

“We continue to have conversations with big employers on what they are doing in their workplace and how we can complement that in terms of earning the commute and the city being a magnet.”