Anti-tagging patrols suggested to fight graffiti

Rotorua identity Mike Baird is waging a war on vandalism.

Mr Baird is proposing to set up a tagging patrol, in which volunteers would drive the streets in a bid to stop taggers vandalising property.

His suggestion comes as the Rotorua District Council and Neighbourhood Support warn the public about prolific taggers in the community.

Mr Baird told The Daily Post he was fed up with the amount of vandalism in Rotorua.

He said Rotorua was a beautiful city and it was about time people stood up to vandals who were defacing both public and private property.

"These dirt bags may call it tagging, I call it vandalism."

Mr Baird, a former breakfast radio host in Rotorua, said he constantly saw private property which had been vandalised and it wasn't fair to anyone in the community.

"People take a lot of pride in their property and a lot of care goes into maintaining it, but they have to spend their precious time and money cleaning up after people who think it's okay to go on to someone's private property and vandalise it," he said.

"We as a community need to look into what can be done. It has simply gone too far."

Mr Baird said he had set up a similar patrol when he lived in Gisborne.

"You just go out and keep an eye on things on a regular basis. It really worked.

"People would only have to do it once or twice a month because there were so many people who volunteered to help."

Those responsible for the vandalism needed to know there were people in the community who were prepared to stop them.

Mr Baird said he would happily sit down with police in the city to find out how he could set up the patrol.

A crime alert sent out by Rotorua's Neighbourhood Support stated that houses in Fordlands, Hillcrest, Utuhina and Owhata had recently been targeted by taggers.

The alert urged people to report any sightings of this activity to police.

The co-ordinator of Rotorua District Council's Keep Rotorua Beautiful scheme, Christine Findon, said a tagger had "popped up" in the Sunset Rd area and was "making his mark".

She said it was frustrating because she didn't know where they were getting their paint.

There were heavy penalties for retailers who were found selling spray cans to under-18s and spray paint had to be in locked cabinets to ensure it couldn't be stolen.

"They might be stealing it from somewhere or getting it from their other siblings or friends."

She said a tagger had been caught recently using a paintbrush.

"It's just like a dog. They seem to feel the need to mark their territory."

Mrs Findon said she could understand the frustration of Rotorua residents.

"People work hard to purchase property and this keeps happening. It's very disheartening for people."

She encouraged the idea of a taggers patrol. "If people want to do that, it's fantastic."

She said people who spotted taggers in the act could take simple steps to ensure they were caught.

"Ring the police immediately.

"Also, if you can get a photo safely, do so and give it to the police. If the police have this information they can build a case and once someone is caught, they can be dealt with accordingly."