Cleaning up graffiti in Manukau’s parks - (left to right)
Community Work Party Supervisors Lucia Schwalger and
Gordon Hooten with one of the work party members.
Imagine a walk in the park - a pleasant winding path, fresh air, green grass, flowers, a few murmuring ducks, and - a wall of scrawled graffiti.
Some graffiti is worthy of the name art, but the scrawled tagging that blights four parks in Manukau City is just an ugly nuisance, offending local residents and making them feel unsafe in their own neighbourhood.
But since March, the taggers haven’t had it all their own way. Manukau Community Probation & Psychological Services is working with the Manukau City Council and the Manukau Beautifi cation Trust to remove the tagging every day - or almost as fast as it appears.
Service Manager Ingrid Inkster says groups of offenders on community work sentences are working three days a week removing tagging in the parks, while contractors cover the other four days.
“The fact that we keep coming back shows the community we care. And it’s a clear message to the taggers - we’re not going to accept this.”
She adds that for many of the offenders, the punishment fi ts the crime.
“Many of the offenders in the removal gangs have been sentenced for tagging themselves.”
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ISSN 1178-8453