Graffiti - reporting and removal

Reporting of graffiti by residents and proactive graffiti removal by the Council's Graffiti Response teams, Bexley's streets are now much clearer of graffiti.

If graffiti is removed quickly it is less likely to happen again, so residents are urged to continue to report graffiti no matter how small. This will help us to continue to reduce the amount of graffiti in the borough.

The Council provides a free graffiti removal service from private property where the graffiti is visible from the public highway or public open space and provides free graffiti removal kits to residents groups and traders.

Graffiti is normally removed within seven working days unless it is racist or offensive when it will be removed within 24 hours, following notification to the police.

Help us identify who is carrying out graffiti - if you have information you can call our Neighbourhood Services team in confidence on 0800 389 5013.

What else are we doing to combat graffiti?

Using the Council's contractor to remove graffiti is only one of the options being used to tackle the problem. The following initiatives are in various stages of implementation:

• Partnering with other local authorities to combat graffiti across borough boundaries, and to share information on best practice
• We continue to work in partnership with the probation service and the Youth Offending Team, who both use young offenders to remove graffiti and flyposting from locations identified by the Council
• Trading Standards ensure that shops are not selling spray cans to under sixteens as this is now an offence and are working with shop owners to minimise the risk of implements that can be used for graffiti or etching being acquired for these purposes
• Continue to sell graffiti removal kits and encourage residents/traders to remove graffiti from their area. This strategy has proved to be successful in several areas around the Borough. In particular, close cooperation will be maintained and improved with Neighbourhood Watch coordinators and residents/traders associations; The Council will provide free graffiti removal kits to any recognised group in order to keep local areas clean of graffiti
• Increased surveillance is being carried out to catch offenders and the police stop and search those suspected of carrying materials for the purpose of graffiti. Intelligence on tags is being shared between key partners to identify those responsible
• An educational programme aimed at school children at all key learning stages is to be developed and made available to all schools and youth services 
• Trials in the designing out of graffiti and flyposting have been carried out in areas where large expanses of wall/fence attract vandals. This involved the use of protective coatings, anti-climb paint, anti-fly posting coatings, planting of natural screening i.e. thorn bushes or fast growing large shrubs

How you can help us to help you?

1. If graffiti appears on your property:
   • report it to the police
   • take photographs as evidence
   • if possible, remove it as quickly as you can
   • if you are unable to remove it yourself, contact Works Direct who will be able to advise on the most appropriate course of action
2. Graffiti removal kits are available for purchase at a cost of £70 for a large kit and £25 for a small first aid kit. For further details contact Works Direct 
3. If you are a member of a residents or traders association, or Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, your co-ordinator may be able to obtain a free kit!  
4. If you are not a member of any of the above groups or there is not one in your area, why not start one yourself? Bexley Neighbourhood Watch can be contacted on 020 8284 5537 or, by writing to 2 Nuxley Road, Belvedere, Kent, DA17 5JF 
5. Why not get together with your neighbours and have a clean up weekend. It is a good opportunity to get the children involved and show them the damage that is caused to a community, by graffiti. We can help you with some resources, just contact us at worksdirect@bexley.gov.uk and tell us what you need 
6. Always know where your children are and what they are doing. Aerosols are dangerous, and it may be your child that is causing damage and distress to others