Prevention

What can you do?

While it may not be possible to eliminate graffiti altogether there are ways to help minimise opportunities for graffiti.
Keeping your place free of graffiti shows potential taggers that you are watching over the space.
You can make your home or business less attractive to taggers by using some of the strategies below.

Cover walls

While it may not be possible to eliminate graffiti altogether there are ways to help minimise opportunities for graffiti.

Keeping your place free of graffiti shows potential taggers that you are watching over the space.
You can make your home or business less attractive to taggers by using some of the strategies below.

Open blank spaces are attractive writing canvases for taggers. Be creative and minimise opportunities.

Texture:

Rough and irregular surfaces make tagging more difficult.
Tip: Pool style fencing, latticework and steel mesh.

Colour:

Painting walls in darker colours can make it easier to paint over and less attractive for the tagger

Plants:

On vulnerable walls use climbers or bushy vegetation.

Tip: Avoid using Ficus, Pumila and Bouganvillia plants that have aggressive root systems.

Shrubs

Some examples of tall thin bushy plants include:

  • Port Jackson Pine
  • Bottlebrushes
  • Lemon Scented Teatree

A smaller narrow conifer species is: 

  • Juniperus 'Syrocket' or 'Spartan'

Climbing Plants

These plants will grow on lattice or wire:

  • Hardenbergia
  • Climbing Guinea flower
  • Dusky Coral pea
  • Wonga Wonga Vine
  • Kangaroo Vine

If the area is Council land seek permission for planting by completing a footpath planting application. A qualified Council Officer will contact you to discuss your application and offer advice.

Increase visibility

Being seen increases the risk of being caught.

Lighting:

Bright light can deter taggers. Complete darkness means they can’t see their writing.
Tip: Consider sensor lighting and trimming trees.

Creating casual surveillance:

Make use of lines of sight from popular areas such as road ways and balconies or through landscaping.
Tip: To maximise sight lines, shrubbery and trees should be lower than 60cm, or have crowns higher than 1.8 metres.Boundaries:

Reduce access to an area by identifying clear boundaries between your property and public property.
Tip: Consider shrubs, fences, changes in pavement.

Noise:

Tip: Gravel or pebbles make a noisy boundary increasing the risk of detection.
 

Rapid removal

Removing graffiti before the paint is completely dry makes cleaning easier and stops the tagger from getting any recognition. It also discourages them from tagging in the same place again.

  • Make your home less attractive by removing graffiti as soon as it appears
  • Graffiti removed within 24 to 48 hours is easier to clean
  • Rapid removal denies recognition to the graffiti tagger.

Paint it out

  • Use standard paint colours to make it easier and cheaper to maintain
  • Test an area first, you may need to seal the wall first to avoid graffiti bleeding through
  • Keep a tin of paint handy to make it easier to respond quickly
  • Painting out tips from the NSW Attorney General's Crime Prevention

Cleaning and removing

How to clean off graffiti will depend upon the surface and type of marker used. You can contact your local hardware store to find out the best type of product for your situation.

Visit the NSW Attorney General's Department, Crime Prevention Division for specific methods on removing graffiti From common vandalised surfaces.