A quick response by Westside BID’s street wardens resulted in instant punishment for a graffiti tagger caught defacing Broad Street at the weekend.
Street wardens spotted the so-called tagger spraying his messy signatures on the smart street hoarding that pays tribute to pop stars UB40 at around 10.30pm on Saturday.
The wardens immediately alerted street camera operators at West Midlands Police and then followed the tagger until the arrival of officers who had been patrolling nearby. The officers initially detained the culprit but it was quickly decided that a dose of immediate restorative justice would be the best way forward.
Faced with arrest and potential criminal damage charges, the tagger – who has not been named – agreed to clean up his scrawls instead. He was provided with a bucket of hot soapy water and cloths from nearby venues.
The police and wardens then watched as he spent an hour cleaning his tags, much to the delight of passers-by who congratulated both the wardens and the police.
Pete Willis, the warden manager for Westside BID, said: “People work hard to keep Broad Street looking smart, and it is always disheartening to see graffiti taggers making a mess of things.
“When we saw this tagging take place we were therefore determined to follow the man involved and to bring his actions to the attention of the police.
“Getting him to agree to clean up his mess was a great result as this instant community resolution will hopefully get the message out there that we are not putting up with this kind of vandalism here on Westside.
“We also had many comments from passers by saying it was great to see this swift restorative justice taking place.”
A video of the tagger cleaning his mess up can be watched here:
Chief Inspector Gary Everitt, who leads police operations in Birmingham city centre, welcomed the restorative justice. He said: “This was a great example of the strong partnership we have with Westside’s wardens, and I was pleased to see this swift and appropriate result. Well done to all involved.”
ENDS
This is the best news story I’ve seen today! No one likes taggers ruining the city.
Great well done all involved. I hope he will think twice before getting his paints out again.
I wish this would happen where I live this mess is everywhere