Blacktown City Council - Media Release - Dob In A Vandal.....

Media release

2 February, 2018

Blacktown City Council is taking a hard-line approach to vandalism, offering cash rewards aimed at tackling the crime that is disfiguring its streets and buildings.

Mayor of Blacktown City Councillor Stephen Bali MP said Council will pay up to $2,500 for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a vandal.

“The community is fed up with their streets being defaced by senseless vandals who think they can operate above the law,” Mayor Bali said.

“Graffiti is not a victimless crime: it makes people feel unsafe and eats away at the pride people have for their towns and suburbs.

“This is simply not on and I am putting graffiti vandals on notice: we have you in our sights and the community, police and business are right behind us.”

Mayor Bali urged locals to ‘dob in a vandal’ and help keep their neighbourhood clean.

“Graffiti removal and prevention costs Council $1.6 million every year,” Mayor Bali said.

“Council is spending more money than ever before to keep our city clean, but we need the community’s help.

“That’s why we are offering this generous incentive to encourage residents to join Council in the fight against vandalism.”

Mayor Bali said Council will pay community members a reward, from $500 up to $2500, when information they provide leads to the conviction of an offender who has damaged Council property. 

“Council-owned property includes community centres, libraries, playgrounds and swimming pools,” he said.

“If you witness vandalism on any of these properties, your first step is to report the incident to your local police station.

“If a conviction is made against the offender, you will be eligible to apply for Council’s reward program.”

For more information about Council’s Vandalism Reward Program visit https://www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/report-vandalism

 

Council is offering up to $2500 reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a graffiti vandal.

Graffiti Removal Day 30st October 2016 - Do You Want An Area Of Graffiti Removed Or Even Volunteer To Remove It?

Graffiti Artwork on public and private property is a destruction of  downgrading  the community we live in. It is fare to say there  are creative graffiti artwork that deserves to stay but only if they have a positive affect on reactions, from within the community.

I rember in my 'younger' days I was told by a Council Officer from Waverley Council, that sometimes removing the graffiti can make graffiti artists come back  and destroy the same area with their tag design. The reason why they do it is  they may have  boredom, peer group pressure.

So the NSW Government is coming up with a 'Graffiti Removal Day' on Sunday 30th October 2016, where you can volunteer and help this campaign or even provide a in

sight that needs to be cleaned.

Please note,  you can volunteer or decide to name the site you would like cleaned , as follows:

Click here for further details on "Graffiti Removal Day'

"Livo Rainbow Stairs" - Streets Uni Mount Druitt

 This is a great way to get the youths off our streets. This will  stop them destroying public/private property by using spray paints and creating graffiti that really makes the place look ugly, depressed and feel down.

A great initiative by Streets University Mount Druitt and I recommend many places in Mount Druitt and surrounding suburbs  could be transferred beautifully in all rainbow colours, which would  brighten every single person's lives.

Check out the video:
Click here for Streets Uni Livo Rainbow Stairs

Community Members Given Cleaning Equipment For Bus Time Tables & Bus Stop Improvements at Shlavey - Brent From Shalvey

Last week, I bumped into Brent Robertson, former Greens Candidate for Mount Druitt at last years election and noted that one of many respectable community Members within Mount Druitt, he is still working voluntarily hard within the community, for improvements and questioning why things can not be improved.

He has been successful in obtaining a time on section bus stop in Emerson Street, Shalvey Click here for Busways 755 Route , on both sides of the street.Which is a significant improvement for bus commuters within the area.

The question now arises what is the law in relation relation to supplying bus time tables to bus service routes. Is the legal requirement bus time tables at each Section bus stop?  Also, what is the same legal requirements for sheltered seats/ bus shelter. I will find out and hope to get a response from relevant Stake Holders.

Brent also advised that Blacktown City Council has supplied him with cleaning agents/equipment, allowing him to remove graffiti at Mount Druitt bus interchange

What has been noted is when it rains at Mount Druitt bus interchange, seats are wet. So we will need to ask relevant government members and  bodies for inspection, feed back and positive response. I'm sure even they wouldn't like to sit on wet seats!

It has been noted that the bus stop outside Red Rooster, Emerton requires a bus stop shelter heading to Shalvey.

Anti-Social Issues North Mount Druitt - Graffiti Cars and Noise Pollution!

Amin from North Mount Druitt, claims the current problem along Meacher Street is the growing amount of  youth in their early teens or even an earlier age then this creating am anti social issues, late at night.

As quoted by Amin, 'These youth are involved in misdeeds by what he calls vehicle painting (spray painting using aerosol paint cans) on vehicles parked in the streets. Additional to this they are also using graffitti along house boundary of house walls.

I suggested that firstly the photographs be taken of the culprits and referred immediately to Mount Druitt Police Station.
 
I also recommended that he contacts Blacktown City Council Graffiti Team, report it and seek advice on the private property graffiti damage.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that these youths are starting sound pollution  by loud speaker from afternoon to midnight.

I have also suggested he refers to the NSW Noise Legislation  
Click here
 

'Training Chat' With Young Benjamin From Mount Druitt - Great Ideas Especially With Graffiti!

Yes, I'm a talk and also a listener! Today, was my 'Wow' day where I had been talk to a young tertiary student learning I think was technical sketching (If I'm wrong let me know) in the inner city of Sydney.

In the last 6 years or so, I always like to approach people (as people are great no matter who they are), and young Benjamin was quite happy to talk to me from Mount Druitt to Parramatta train station. In fact he said something here that caught myself 'offguard and stunned'!

He said, 'I don't mind talking to you rather than going on my phone and doing things'!

So the conversation became very heartening as we discussed the strengths youths have today that shows like 'Struggle Street' didn't see. We both agreed that the younger generation do not want to listen and  proceed to the same career as their parents and not be pushed. Parents must take  a backward step so their child can take a moving step forward!

They want to make their own independent career and study decisions independently without the influence of parents. One thing young Benjamin said is although there maybe a high 'youth unemployment' in the area, there is a higher youth employment opportunity, jobs are there but the youths do not want to do these jobs that are there, they want to do jobs that end up hard to get!

We then 'traveled' to Graffiti issues and agreed that although local authorities are doing the best they can to tackle it, different tactics and measures could be used, so that every one is happy and we could have an improved community.

Dawson Mall shop owners must be congratulated for promoting graffiti artists to paint their passion and beauty on the roller shutters of shops. Young Benjamin stated that in Melbourne they pay for these Graffiti artists to  paint on malls, public places and yet the work they are doing is a 'work of art'. No other Graffiti artists will tag on these pictures, they are pleasing to see from a community aspect and kept for history.

So maybe our local authorities can look at ways of getting Graffiti artists recognised for the beautiful work they can do, changing the image of community and then they will have more community respect from within the community with pride.  The most important bit was that the Graffiti artists need to be paid for their work!

Great initiatives and suggestions from young Benjamin, he will make a great adult in his future! We need more thinking like him!

City Council - Anit Graffiti Team - In Action!

This morning I was walking along William Mason Reserve, North Mount Druitt when I has seen graffiti tagging on a long wall of colourbond fence that faces the park. The words I could decipher I could not mention and repeat here.

I always think that the graffiti artists do not care about there own property. I met the Council offer in charge on the way back after 2 hours and found that the Blacktown City Council  response was so quick and the job was done so quick as well. This gentleman advised he had 10 people on 'community services' doing this job and he was responsible for  all the Mount Druitt area. It was by chance he was driving along today and spotted the fence. with full of graffiti.

He takes pictures and sends them to Blacktown City Council, he doesn't know what they do from here.

Here is the job done, just freshly painted! Well done! I was told some of the heavy graffiti is hard to come off.

Graffiti on Glass Walls Mount Druitt Train Station - Clean Up Action Required

We ask the Hon. Member for Mount Druitt, Councillor Edmond Atalla, to organise relevant stake holders to remove the graffiti on the glass walls, on the south entry to Mount Druitt train station. We  further request safety measurements placed by the NSW Government to prevent this malicious damage to public property and report back to us.

Graffiti Signs Can Be Fixed If Shop Owners Pay Graffiti Artists To Do Artwork On Their Roller-Doors!

We know that some Graffiti artwork can be turn into beautiful community artwork, that may enhance  the area to look much better, colourful and possibly attractive to local community members. It appears that some employers along Dawson Mall are encouraged by the Graffiti Artists that they appear to pay them for their fantastic artwork.

This in itself could be a deterrence for other Graffiti artists to write over it. What do you think? Maybe there could be  a competition to see which one is the best artistically completed?

Graffiti Needs To Be Cleaned From Mount Druitt Bus Interchange!

I don't know how people from the community like to damage others property, whether it be private property or government owned property. It their way of sending a message to the community, sometimes meaningless to us, yet they understand why they do this and then run away from the cause.

If it was their own private property, you would hope that they wouldn't do that!

So now, we ask Transport Officers of Blacktown City Council and the newly elected Member of Mount Druitt, Hon. Edmond Atalla, through the NSW Transport to organise this graffiti be cleaned fro the pedestrian walkway at the Mount Druitt Bus Interchange. Maybe a suggestion is to place security cameras on these spots, to catch who's doing this!

Graffiti Destroys Bike Lockers At Rooty Hill!

Down by the ramp access north of Rooty Hill train station, I noticed graffiti on the NSW for Transport's Bike Locker Hire's. This kind of graffiti can destroy the way we want our communities to remain looking beautiful and great. This adds costs to Local Government or NSW Governments costs and this money could be well spent in other beneficial areas for the community.

Graffiti around the area can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We will ask that this graffiti is removed immediately and any other bike lockers within Blacktown Local Government area, along the T1 Western Line is regularly checked by relevant stake holders, ensuring that the natural beauty of the area is kept. Schemes should also be in place like camera's to catch the culprits and once court place them on a community program that provide community pride and maybe make them pay the costs of removal and repainting it!

Community Activist in O'Brien Street, Mount Druitt Clean Streets!

The other day Linda, from O'Brien Street, North Mount Druitt, shas been marking a mark in the community by notifying Council of graffiti on fences that need to be removed. As soon as the graffiti artists attacked the fences, she was onto it.

She also has stepped outside her community role, by previously walking up and down her street, pick up rubbish dropped around by other community members, leaving a clean, beautiful and respectful street. Now she finds Blacktown City Council, acting responsible and cleans up her street within reasonable amount of time. Also Council has  been terrific in responding to cleaning off graffiti off unnecessary fences.

William Mason Reserve North Mount Druitt, she remembers used to be used for burning out of cars and the children's playground area used to be used on the north west bushy area of the park, where there was drug addicts using needles. The redesign of the park, has planned for the children's park to be in a better area.
 
Again we have a 'champion' in Mount Druitt, probably a silent 'champion' but a champion in her own right. 

In Mount we have a wide diverse of people coming from all over the world and of course some people may believe in their own customers, trying to retain them in Australia. There may be one or two cultures that only believe in cleaning their own home and compound. When it comes to outside then they may be left to others and maybe that's a culture, us Australians have instilled within ourselves. I think to reduce Council's cost for street rubbish, we need for Council to promote campaigns like 'Your cleaner rubbish is your community's cleaner rubbish!'