Credit: Melbourne Leader
SOCIAL media websites have been blamed for turning North Melbourne into a graffiti hot-spot attracting under-age taggers from across the state.
Sergeant Monique Kelley said some local traders were believed to be selling spray-cans to the youths, which is illegal if the buyer is under 18.
And she said it was likely the sales were being promoted online, as kids were travelling from as far afield as Echuca.
“Word of mouth can’t travel this well. They (the businesses) must be advertising on Facebook or another social site,” Sgt Kelley told Melbourne Leader.
The increase in the amount of tagging in the suburb has prompted police to launch Operation Blackwood at and around North Melbourne train station.
Police have swarmed the precinct twice in the past month and issued seven $587 on-the-spot fines for possession of spray cans without a valid excuse.
Officers have also confiscated 120 aerosol cans, including one car-load containing 70 cans.
Sgt Kelley said as the operation was ongoing, police were unable to release the names of traders suspected of selling spray cans to youths.
In another effort to put the clamps on inner-city taggers, Melbourne Council has launched two new mobile graffiti removal vans. The vans, which are costing ratepayers $600,000, will patrol the streets looking for tagging on private property.
The council workers will have the power to remove graffiti on the spot, provided they have the permission of building owners.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, when announcing the scheme, said graffiti was frustrating for traders and residents who were forced to repeatedly clean it off their buildings.
The free service will patrol five days a week during daylight hours and will focus on busy pedestrian areas including the CBD, Lygon St, Rathdowne St, Errol St, Domain Rd, Macaulay Rd and Belair St. The vans will also be available for emergency call-outs after hours and on weekends.
Councillor Jennifer Kanis said the council supported legal street art in renowned hubs such as Hosier Lane.
But she said the organisation was adopting a zero-tolerance approach to tagging with no artistic merit.
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Credit: Melbourne Leader
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