Spray paint wielding graffiti artists have taken to Jasper鈥檚 streets in increasing numbers this summer, covering garbage bins, street signs and buildings in their signature tags.
It鈥檚 gotten so bad that a week after all of the garbage bins and street signs on Connaught Drive and Patricia Street were wiped down by a municipal compliance officer and a community service worker, they were again covered in paint.
鈥淲ithin a week, every single bin downtown had been retagged with multiple tags of graffiti,鈥� said Matt Hogan, the officer responsible for the clean-up effort. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty bad when you鈥檝e wiped all the bins and within a week every one is tagged again.鈥�
To address the issue and to clean up the town鈥檚 appearance, bylaw enforcement officers have launched a graffiti abatement program.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing is we鈥檙e sending letters out to local property owners who have been affected by graffiti. The letter outlines what graffiti is, how to remove it, how to manage it.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also offering assessments to local businesses and property owners on how to prevent crime, vandalism and damage.鈥�
Part of that is choosing appropriate lighting, trees and fencing outside a property or business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 using your environment to prevent crime and victimization,鈥� said Hogan, noting that he recently took a course in Edmonton on crime prevention through environmental design.
As well as protecting business and property owners, Hogan said the municipality is working closely with the RCMP to stop taggers in the act.
鈥淚f they catch anybody they鈥檙e going to be charging them under the criminal code for mischief,鈥� said Hogan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty much asking people to keep their eyes open, if they see anything, be vigilant. If they see somebody tagging, it鈥檚 a crime in progress, call 911. If your property is victimized by graffiti, you should contact the RCMP and file a report for insurance purposes and to create stats.鈥�
If anyone has questions about how to remove graffiti, like what products to use, or how to reduce crime through environmental design, contact Hogan at 780-852-5514.
To report a crime, contact the Jasper RCMP at 780-852-4848 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
