Council moves to make graffiti vandals pay

The City of Melbourne is stepping up its crackdown on graffiti, with councillors set to back compensation orders against taggers being prosecuted by Victoria Police in what the council says is the next step in its “You Spray, You Pay” policy.

At the April 14 Future Melbourne Committee meeting, councillors will consider a report recommending that management ask Victoria Police to seek compensation orders in two current graffiti prosecutions where the council has already provided, or will provide, evidence and Victim Impact Statements.

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the message was simple.

“We said we would crack down on graffiti vandals and we are,” he said.

He said the council was working with Victoria Police to recover the costs of graffiti removal and to seek compensation orders through the courts as part of criminal proceedings.

The latest report says the council has been assisting police in relation to graffiti vandals known as “YOMP” and “Q Bee”, and that if compensation orders are made, they would be used to recover the costs of graffiti removal and damage to council-owned assets. Where possible, the council will also seek to recover removal costs from private property incurred under its graffiti removal contract.

Council records show that “YOMP” has been linked to 34 tags, at an estimated cost to the council of $4920.

The report also highlights another prolific vandal known as “Bruege”, who has been identified as a high-profile, high-cost offender. Council records attribute 1712 tags to “Bruege”, with an estimated cleaning bill of $177,885. Management says it is currently assessing whether one high-cost graffiti or vandalism case may be suitable for separate civil proceedings.

Safety and Cleaning portfolio lead Cr Rafael Camillo said graffiti affected more than just the city’s appearance.

“It costs the community a significant amount of money and affects how safe and welcome people feel in our city,” he said.

“We’re drawing a line in the sand – if you force council to spend resources cleaning up our city, we will work with police to hold you accountable and make you pay for your crimes.”

The report notes that civil action can only be taken where the offender is known, located and the council can prove who made the mark, such as through eyewitness accounts or security footage. It also warns that civil proceedings can be resource-intensive, with costs estimated at between $10,000 and $100,000 on a case-by-case basis.

Cr Reece said the city was now better placed than ever to identify offenders, pointing to the expanded Safe City camera network and new camera technologies being rolled out across Melbourne.

A further update on the graffiti cases is due to be provided to councillors in June.