§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of offences involving graffiti in each of the past 10 years. [153612]
§ Ms BlearsIt is not possible to distinguish offences of graffiti from other types of criminal damage in the Home Office figures for court proceedings as the circumstances of individual offences are not collected centrally.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to tackle graffiti in urban areas. [153613]
§ Ms BlearsA key element to the Government's drive to tackle antisocial behaviour in public places is to enforce local standards and tackle the abuse of our environment that makes public places a magnet for anti-social behaviour and crime.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 introduces a package of measures to prevent graffiti and to ensure that it is removed swiftly when it does occur. It also gives local authorities the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for graffiti and fly posting. This means offenders will have to pay a £50 penalty or be prosecuted through the courts.
The TOGETHER campaign places the focus on action within the heart of our communities and provides them with the opportunity to work together to tackle graffiti including a national database which will record graffiti tags, a poster campaign across transport networks which will target the most prolific graffiti 'taggers' and a pilot of 12 areas which will use new powers that enable local authorities to issue clean up notices to owners of street furniture.
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