PREVENTION
Graffiti creates fear and costs you business and customers. The sight of graffiti can also encourage people to commit acts of vandalism. Graffiti-filled areas often don't attract shoppers, customers, or investors. Even if your building is graffiti-free, the atmosphere in the neighborhood can impact your business.
Graffiti thrives when:
- There is a nice surface that is available to write on
- No one is around to see and report graffiti vandals
Make walls less attractive to vandals
What makes a wall attractive to graffiti vandals?
| Attractive | Less Attractive |
|---|---|
Smooth Light-colored Regular paint Patched and dirty |
Rough Dark-colored Anti-graffiti paint Clean and freshly painted |
Reduce access to building's walls
- Use clinging plants, such as ivy, on vulnerable walls. This breaks up the writing space and makes it harder for the paint to reach the wall.
- Plant bushes in front of walls. This makes it harder for people to get close to the wall.
- Erect fences between your business and public property. This helps people know where the boundaries are, and also makes it harder for graffiti vandals to get close enough to your walls.
- If there are payphones and benches close to your business that encourage people to hang out, see about getting them removed.
Make taggers more visible
- Use motion-detector lights. Keeping the lights on all night makes it easier for people to see graffiti vandals.
- Remove large trees or bushes that block people's view of vandals. The best plant life for graffiti-prone areas are short, well-trimmed bushes that keep people from getting too close to walls.
- Use pebbles around the building to create noise when people are walking.