A PROLIFERATION of graffiti is ‘ruining’ Evesham, claims a resident who is calling on members of the public to identify one particular serial offender.
RAF veteran, Peter Stewart, who has lived in the town for nearly 50 years, is upset that the residential area around Davies Road is being blighted by tags – the stylised signature of a graffiti writer.
“It is evident that a person is currently on a non-stop crusade to daub as much graffiti as possible on every conceivable space.
“Cooper’s Lane has also been targeted. This individual’s criminal activity can be seen on both private and public walls and fences and utility junction boxes. It gets me down,” he told the Observer.
Peter, aged 86, who said the vandalism is hard to ignore and ‘spoils the area’, wants the person responsible reported to the police and is asking for the public’s help.
“He or she obviously works at night, probably using a bike. In some cases, preparing the walls to be painted the previous night, and using a large number of different paints.
“This individual believes they are above the law and needs to be identified.”
Peter wants to identify the individual who signs tags with a distinctive ikh. s
Graffiti is legally considered vandalism and a criminal offence, and it can result in a fixed penalty notice, fines or even imprisonment.
Peter, who has a long line of military service in his family, finds it difficult to understand why people do it. “We had discipline in our family, and were brought up to know the difference between right and wrong,” he added.
A respected judge at art and photography competitions across the district, he suggests people who practise this behaviour should do something more constructive.
His message to individuals is to ‘stop it’ and ‘go away’. “Join an art club and use your talents to create some art to hang up in Evesham library,” Peter said.
He hopes that raising awareness of this issue will encourage someone who knows who is responsible to come forward and put a name to this person.
He has not bothered to report the graffiti problem to the police, but Chief Inspector Graham Preece, West Mercia’s operational lead for anti-social behaviour (ASB), has sought to encourage the public to do just that.
“West Mercia Police takes ASB, which includes graffiti, very seriously and is not overlooked as a crime type.
“While this type of behaviour might not seem serious to some people, it can have a huge impact on our communities, and we are committed to tackling those issues.
“Other aspects of ASB include littering, vandalism, off-road motorcycles, drinking in parks, aggressive and intimidating behaviour and we are aware that for many people it is one of their biggest concerns where they live.
“As always, the information we receive from our communities is essential to tackling and solving crime. We encourage everyone to always report information to us,” he said.
Residents’ concerns about graffiti should be reported to the police via 101.
Wychavon District Council is responsible for removing graffiti from public buildings, benches and monuments. See wychavon.gov.uk/environmental-crime/graffiti-and-fly-posting to notify locations online.
