City and CPS launch Graffiti Action Plan
Posted Mar 14, 2012 6:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Calgary Police are teaming up with the city to launch a new action plan to encourage Calgarians to report graffiti.
The Graffiti Action Plan highlights that graffiti vandalism is indeed a crime and affects everyone because it lowers property values and costs tax payers millions of dollars annually to remove.
Bill Bruce from City Bylaw Services says the sooner graffiti is reported and removed, the less likely it is to reappear.
In 2009 alone, City Transit spent over $3 million to clean up graffiti on trains, buses and in stations.
Inspector Curtis Olson says graffiti vandalism is a crime punishable under either the Criminal Code of Canada or the Community Standards Bylaw.
He says punishments can range from fines between $1,000 and $5,000 and convictions can result in a criminal record and possible jail time.
Police say they often find that graffiti offenders are also involved in other criminal activities, such as drugs, violence, theft, and other property-related offences.
Calgarians are encouraged to call 9-1-1 if they see graffiti offenses being committed or 3-1-1 to report existing graffiti.
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