NCJ Number
231320
Journal
Crime Prevention and Community Safety Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2010 Pages: 137-155
Date Published
July 2010
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article outlines the development of a graffiti classification system in Australia and hypothesizes that the system enables the timely removal of graffiti.
Abstract
Graffiti removal is a prolific and costly problem for Australian municipal authorities. In Western Australia, new incidents of graffiti are reported through the State government's dedicated graffiti hotline. The aim being to have all highly offensive graffiti removed within a 24-hour time frame and all other graffiti within 48 hours. The flaw in the system is that individuals reporting graffiti incidents have diverse understandings as to what forms of graffiti constitute the State government's highly offensive classification. This confusion has led to removal contractors being sent to remove non-highly offensive graffiti ahead of highly offensive graffiti. To address this problem, this article reports on the development and validation of a graffiti classification system. This system provides authorities with a typological tool for prioritizing the removal of graffiti. Tables, figures, and references (Published Abstract)