Auckland City Council
Media release

27 March 2008

Call for the public to help combat graffiti vandalism

Auckland City Council is launching a new phone number so the public can report information about graffiti vandals.

0800 STOP TAGS (0800 7867 8247) will be trialled from 1 April to 30 June.

The public is encouraged to call the number with any information they have about graffiti vandals and their associates.

This information will be assessed by the council’s investigators, with good lines of enquiry followed up by both the council and the police.

Cash rewards will be offered where the information leads to the successful apprehension, arrest and conviction of offenders.

Chairperson of the Community Services Committee, Councillor Paul Goldsmith, says the council is serious about combating graffiti vandalism in the city.

“Effective prosecution is a critical part of the battle against graffiti vandalism. This new number is another enforcement tool to help us catch and prosecute graffiti vandals. By ensuring graffiti vandals are convicted, we can make them pay for the damage they cause.”

“I urge the public to phone 0800 STOP TAGS during the trial with any useful information they may have,” he says.

Since starting in October 2000, the council’s zero tolerance to graffiti vandalism programme has helped apprehend over 500 graffiti vandals and remove graffiti vandalism from more than 130,000 sites.

The public can continue reporting graffiti vandalism for removal through the council’s call centre on 379 2020.

Ends

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