Monthly reports provided by the Christchurch City Council to the Papanui-Innes Community Board showed that St Albans consistently ranked in the top five most reported suburbs for graffiti.
A graffiti “hotspot” was also identified on Grimseys Rd, Redwood.
“It’s disappointing. We would like to see people looking after their community and respecting council property,” she said.
In June this year, there were 55 reports made by the public in St Albans through the city council’s Snap Send and Solve app.
Murals are often installed around the city to deter taggers, which is why Norrish believes this is a “great idea” for the area, and an opportunity to get local schools and the community involved.
“(Murals are) a great idea, especially on Grimseys Rd near the underpass,” she said.
Norrish believed it is a hotspot because it is located on the “fringe” of the city, providing more opportunities for taggers to gain notoriety.
The city council community partnerships and planning manager Gary Watson said St Albans has been in the top five suburbs for graffiti reports twice in the past six months.
“This doesn’t necessarily mean there is a large amount of graffiti, but people in that area actively report it. The same tag may be reported several times by different individuals,” he said.
“Although not in St Albans, Grimseys Rd was a removal hotspot for June. This was due to the QE II Drive underpass being heavily tagged and requiring a large area to be painted.
“St Albans has not been identified as a current area to focus on as the amount of graffiti removed has been decreasing.”
He said a new community group has joined forces with the city council who were “keen to adopt a spot” to keep an eye on and remove any graffiti.
There were a number of other ways the community could get involved, he said, to aid the city council’s efforts, such as using the Snap, Send, and Solve app, or joining their Graffiti Volunteer Programme.
“Rapid removal is the most effective method of deterring future graffiti. Taggers love to leave their mark on existing graffiti – removing it denies the recognition they’re looking for,” he said.
