City likes smell of success in removing graffiti
The City of Kamloops has a new tool to wipe out graffiti.
Community and corporate affairs director Len Hrycan said the city’s parking-control officers have been armed with citrus-based wipes to remove graffiti from certain surfaces.
“It seems to be working quite well,” he said last week at the city’s co-ordinated enforcement task force meeting.
“So, we’re going to keep pushing that.”
The head of the city’s graffiti task force, Ronnie Bouvier, said her group is also using the wipes.
The number of graffiti files with bylaw officers this year has doubled to 31, from 15 last year.
However, Jon Wilson, the city’s community and safety enforcement manager, said that has more to do with increased patrols than increased tagging.
The meeting also heard Canada Post has recently wrapped most of its mailboxes in the downtown core in graffiti wraps — red postal boxes are adorned with various postal codes in a style resembling graffiti — making them less of a target for vandals.
Hrycan said he hopes BC Hydro will take similar steps with its power boxes, which are commonly tagged by those armed with spray paint.
“We’re working on a program for them to elevate their level of support,” he said. “Whether that’s through a different painting program or wraps or some other form of painting on these facilities is yet to be seen.”
Anyone who sees graffiti being drawn is asked to call RCMP at 250-828-3000. If you spot graffiti after the fact, call the task force at 250-314-0386.
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