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Tweed Shire Council has joined forces with NSW Police to address a recent increase of illegal graffiti across the Tweed – and the community is being asked to help.
Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads – which has undergone $2.6 million in upgrades over the past two years – is the latest area to be targeted by graffiti vandals in recent times. The vandalism comes just weeks after the recently upgraded swimming area at the park was officially opened.
Vandals have graffitied over walls, seating areas, skating areas and even on top of commissioned artworks, leaving the area badly damaged.
Knox Park in Murwillumbah has also seen an increase in graffiti over recent weeks, particularly at the skate park, with tagging taking place over skating areas and signage.
Council’s Director of Sustainable Communities and Environment Naomi Searle said she was devastated by the recent spate of graffiti vandalism at Jack Evans Boat Harbour, just as the new facilities were being embraced by the community.
“Council has worked tirelessly over recent years to upgrade this vital recreational area jn the Tweed Heads CBD to make it more enjoyable for the community. So, to see it vandalised in this way is not only a waste of ratepayers’ money but also makes the area unsightly and unwelcoming,” Ms Searle said.
“Graffiti vandalism is a crime. Estimating the true cost of graffiti vandalism is difficult because many people do not report it, however Council spent more than $115,000 on graffiti clean-up in our parks and open spaces in the last financial year alone. This is money that could be better spent on upgrading parks, community and leisure facilities.
“We are working closely with our local police district to ramp up surveillance efforts to deter offenders and we have established a dedicated graffiti team to address issues as they arise, but we need the community to support us by reporting graffiti when they see it.”
Upcoming Community Safety Audit
A comprehensive Community Safety Audit will be undertaken in the Tweed Heads CBD and at Jack Evans Boat Harbour later this month by local police alongside Council staff and community representatives. This audit aims to identify areas that may incite fear or present criminal opportunities. By collaboratively assessing these locations, existing or potential issues can be identified and enhanced safety measures established for the community.
Council will remove offensive graffiti immediately from Council-owned and managed assets. Non-offensive graffiti on Council-owned and managed assets is removed as part of our scheduled maintenance program.
Anyone who sees offensive graffiti is urged to contact Council online at tweed.nsw.gov.au/report-graffiti or by calling 02 6670 2400.
Council does not remove graffiti from private property or non-Council-owned and managed assets, such as power poles. In these cases, please report the graffiti damage to the relevant authority:
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Essential Energy e.g. power boxes, power poles:
Report Vandalism or Graffiti (essentialenergy.com.au) or call 13 23 91
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Telstra e.g. boxes / equipment:
Report damages to Telstra equipment - Telstra or call 13 22 03
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Transport for NSW, e.g. M1 signs:
Contact Transport for NSW | NSW Government or call 1800 707 125
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NBN e.g. internet nodes / equipment:
Contact us form | nbn (nbnco.com.au) or call 1800 687 626.
If your property is subject to graffiti vandalism you should report the matter to the local police on 131 444.
If you see someone in the process of graffitiing, contact police immediately on Triple Zero (000) or through the new BluLink enhanced emergency response platform. The platform is designed to improve emergency response for residents by enabling the public to share crucial information with police through GPS coordinates, live video streaming, digital media uploads, and text messages. This is facilitated via a link sent by Triple Zero (000) dispatchers. Learn more about BluLink.
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