Tagging hotline goes live today
0800 TAGBUSTERS -Hamilton City Council's new tagging hotline goes live to the public today.
If they see graffiti anywhere in the city, members of the public can now call 0800 TAG BUSTERS to report it, remove it and stop it.
The new hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When members of the public make a call Council staff will take details of the tagging and its location, give callers the option of making a police report and discuss options for removal.
Council's top priority is to remove all tagging on public property. Where resources allow, Council will also aim remove all tagging on private property which is visible from public spaces. By calling 0800 TAG BUSTERS (0800 824 287) the public will also have access to free tips on the best way to remove other tagging and keep their property safe from future vandalism.
Hamilton mayor Bob Simcock says "A number of factors mean that tagging is particularly prevalent at some times of the year - during warmer weather and school holidays for example. While increased media coverage often makes tagging topical at those times, tagging has been a major focus for Council for some time now."
"Launching the hotline is the next step for Council, the Police, and neighbourhoods to work together at a grassroots level. Tagging is a community issue best tackled together. Council have always taken calls to report graffiti but with 0800 TAG BUSTERS we can now do that more effectively on an even greater scale."
Council's tagging response teams have been boosted to support the new hotline. Three graffiti removal crews will each now cover a third of the city. The three crews each consist of a professional painter assisted by workers from Council's Task Force Green employment development programme.