Vandals clean up their act

Queensland homes and businesses have been cleaned up and are staying graffiti free one year after the State Government brought in strong laws that make vandals literally clean up their act.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Jarrod Bleijie said the Government’s mandatory graffiti removal orders, which forced vandals to clean up their own mess, had contributed to a dramatic drop in graffiti crime.

“The Government’s extensive law and order reforms and extra resources for authorities have made Queensland safer for families, and now it’s looking the part too,” Mr Bleijie said.

“Queensland families are proud of who they are and where they live and we are cleaning up one of the most visible and ugliest forms of crime.

“The Government has a strong plan to tackle crime effectively and the results speak for themselves.”

Mr Bleijie said since the Government introduced mandatory graffiti removal orders and increased the maximum sentence for vandalism to seven years in prison, the graffiti crime rate had been slashed by more than 25 per cent across the state.

“The graffiti removal orders are practical and effective, with convicted vandals literally cleaning up their act by removing graffiti as part of their sentence,” he said.

“Over the past year, 128 offenders have been ordered to perform 1160 hours’ worth of clean ups across Queensland. On the Gold Coast alone, they’ve re-painted around 3,500 square metres of buildings and other structures.”

Mr Bleijie said an agreement between Queensland Corrective Services and Queensland Rail meant the state’s trains and other rail infrastructure would now also be cleaned up.

“Rail infrastructure is a favourite for many vandals and graffiti costs Queensland Rail more than $5.5 million a year to clean up,” he said.

“This agreement means offenders can now be sent out to clean up Queensland Rail property and in turn make Queenslanders’ trip to work or home more enjoyable and less of an eyesore.

“Graffiti costs Queensland families a total of $200 million to clean up every year. It’s an ugly blight on any home, business or community’s image that we are determined to clean up.”

[ENDS] 3 August 2014 

Media Contact: Ashley McDermid 0412 731 355 or Jaime Wells 0409 624 139