[oldcoote]

If tags had to be removed in a timely manner by the building owner, it would not take long for the tagging to stop, the taggers would get lynched rather quickly as those effected by the tagging would find solutions and band together.

Make tagging a capital offense, if you really want it to stop. Not reasonable? Neither is tagging.

So little does so much harm.

I was in Gage today and very little was untagged.

mic67

I am a building owner, and I got an order to comply to remove a tag. Really appreciate the fact that I get threatened with a fine because someone vandalized my property.

So, if there are any taggers reading this, a fair warning. If I catch you tagging my building again, I'm gonna tag you. We'll see if that's a deterrent.

[SteelTown]

Graffiti going down

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/568409--graffiti-going-down

Efforts by the Hamilton Police to combat graffiti are paying off. There is a marked decrease in the number of graffiti occurrences this year as compared to the last two years.

From January to May 2011, the number of graffiti incidents fell by 29 per cent to 129 from 182 last year during the same time period. This is also less than half the number of incidents reported in 2009 when there were 270 occurrences of graffiti from January to May.

As well, during the first five months of 2011, 14 per cent of police reported graffiti occurrences were cleared by alternative measures rather than by laying charges. This clearance rate is also marginally better than previous years. Alternative measures include verbal counselling, meeting with parents, or making the offenders write essays or participate in community service.

[DC1983]

Graffiti going down

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/568409--graffiti-going-down

Efforts by the Hamilton Police to combat graffiti are paying off. There is a marked decrease in the number of graffiti occurrences this year as compared to the last two years.

From January to May 2011, the number of graffiti incidents fell by 29 per cent to 129 from 182 last year during the same time period. This is also less than half the number of incidents reported in 2009 when there were 270 occurrences of graffiti from January to May.

As well, during the first five months of 2011, 14 per cent of police reported graffiti occurrences were cleared by alternative measures rather than by laying charges. This clearance rate is also marginally better than previous years. Alternative measures include verbal counselling, meeting with parents, or making the offenders write essays or participate in community service.

Was 'Belio' apprehended? That could explain the decrease!
This guy is everywhere, from suburban Hamilton to the Bloor bridge at Old Mill!

[Duckyboy]

I am a building owner, and I got an order to comply to remove a tag. Really appreciate the fact that I get threatened with a fine because someone vandalized my property.

So, if there are any taggers reading this, a fair warning. If I catch you tagging my building again, I'm gonna tag you. We'll see if that's a deterrent.

Hahaha... totally agree with you on that one. I've had my place tagged a few times, and it drives me crazy.

It's not the sole reason, of course, but it sure doesn't help persuade companies to move/invest in Hamilton when everywhere they look it looks like a war-zone ghetto.

[palace1]

What's a "graffiti incident" exactly?

Five months, 129 incidents = about 1 per day...
I'm sure I could increase the statistics by at least 5-10 incidents per day if I wanted to spend the time and effort to call in and report every new graffiti tag I see.

[thistleclub]

Via Citynoise: Hamilton Graffiti (http://citynoise.org/article/11128)

Via The Spec: Do You Know Bunny? (http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/578537--do-you-know-bunny)