GraffitiWatch

Montrose Township Group is thrilled to announce that Yarra Ranges Council has recognised that volunteers were carrying an unfair burden in trying to keep graffiti out of our communities. After extensive lobbying of Council and the State Government by MTG, together with the able and dedicated Upwey Township Group, Council has aquired a ute and employed staff to remove graffiti from around our Shire. Perhaps you have seen them out and about in Montrose already?

 The community still needs to do their bit for their own property though, and we urge traders, home owners and community members to take responsibility for spotting and reporting graffiti, urging those whose property is affected to remove it, and removing it themselves whenever possible. It is easier to get off soon after it has been done, and this also helps to deter more.

We also hope that Council will soon be in a position to provide new graffiti removal kits to assist people to help themselves and keep graffiti off their own property.

 Please help by checking out these Top Ten Tips:

1. Clean graffiti off your own property. Ask Council for advice, help and chemicals by visiting your local office or calling 1300 368 333. Remember to follow all OHS instructions with any chemicals you use.
2. Ask other property owners, neighbours and owners of businesses and offices you buy from or other organisations that you deal with (eg sports clubs, community organisations) to clean up their property, and tell small businesses and locals about Council's help, or this website.
3. Report graffiti you see in Montrose on Shire or other public property to Council on 1300 368 333, providing the exact address or other location and the date when it was done, if possible, so that they can clean it up next time they're around the area.
4. Take a photo of graffiti you see in the Shire and forward it to Victoria Police (see details in Tip 7 below) and the Shire with a note of the location and date it appeared for inclusion on their database. When an offender is caught, they can then be prosecuted for all their handiwork on the database, wherever it is located.
5. If the graffiti is on a powerpole, report it to SPAusnet on 1300 360 795 or via csc@sp-ausnet.com.au DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN IT YOURSELF as SPAusnet have advised that THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS.
6. Report graffiti on traffic signs, bus shelters etc to VicRoads on 131171 or Council on 1300 368 333
7. Report all graffiti to Victoria Police via linda.hancock@police.vic.gov.au. Marking graffiti without consent is a crime. If you can, please also send a photo of the tag for inclusion on the police database (see Tip 4). This will help ensure that those responsible are caught for all their tags and other vandalism around the Shire and Melbourne.
8. If you have kids or are in touch with young people, talk to them about graffiti and the negative impact it can have on people and their feelings of safety and belonging in a community. Let them know they have choices and there are people they can talk to if they are being bullied or put under pressure to vandalise other people's property.
9. Contact your local Councillor or MP about graffiti and let them know it bothers you. Tell them that they need to put pressure on all the big businesses and other large organisations that have structures, buildings, signs and other property in our communities to take responsibility for cleaning it up and keeping it clean, eg Metro and their train lines, stations and infrastructure, Telstra, SPAusnet and departments of the State Government itself, such as VicRoads, Parks Victoria etc.
10. Be the community's eyes and ears, be vigilant and SPEAK UP! This is YOUR community. You don't have to put up with this! 

REMEMBER - DO NOT REMOVE GRAFFITI FROM POWER POLES OR ANY OTHER POWER-RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE - instead contact SP Ausnet (see Tip 5 above).

Contact our local MP, David Hodgett and tell him your thoughts. His email address is mailto:david.hodgett@parliament.vic.gov.au

See recent articles in The Leader and the Mail about MTG's graffiti tackling strategy and issues. Thank you to them for the publicity. 

Vigilance and speed of removal is the key to keeping Montrose graffiti-free!

Finally - if you see someone actually in the act of applying graffiti to a property, you should NOT approach them. Instead call the local police or Crime Stoppers. See http://www.police.vic.gov.au/.

How Can I deter Graffiti Vandalism?

See http://www.graffiti.nsw.gov.au/ for some info you may find helpful - and the tips sheet at the tab on the left called "preventing graffiti vandalism".