COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF JOINT POLICING COMMITTEE

Friday, May 15, 2009

QUESTION NO.

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor, TD

To ask the Manager to present an update on continued effective action being taken throughout  Dublin South West in respect of problems with graffiti and will he make a statement.

REPLY:

Significant efforts have been made by the Council’s Environmental Services Department to tackle graffiti throughout the County with specific responses incorporating the resources provided by the Graffiti Removal Crew, comprising an Assistant Foreman and five staff, and Litter Wardens while the Council's Environmental Awareness Team supplements this by providing information about graffiti prevention and awareness to both community groups and schools.  In addition, the Council has established a pilot partnership with the Probation Services to effect additional graffiti removals while specialist contractors are occasionally required at significant cost (average of €35 per sq.m.) to chemically treat and remove graffiti from certain surfaces.  The 2009 Annual Budget provision in Division E for graffiti removal is approximately €210,000.  

119 graffiti removals have been carried out in the Tallaght and Terenure/Rathfarnham electoral areas to date this year between the Council's Graffiti Removal Crew and the Probation Services pilot project.

The Council’s Housing Estate Management Section contributes annually to the budget of the Anti-Graffiti Team and will, in acute circumstances regarding offensive graffiti, fund the cost of its removal as a priority.  The Estate Management team works with R.A.P.I.D. Co-ordinators to identify locations within designated R.A.P.I.D. areas for removal of graffiti under the Graffiti Reduction Programme and this has proved very successful and also works closely with several Youth groups around the County, with, for example, junior groups in Fettercairn, Jobstown, Killinarden, Moorefield and Oldchurch estates participating in urban art projects aimed at reducing/eliminating graffiti.

The planting of hedging and climbing plants as a deterrent to graffiti, has been an important part of the Arboricultural Programme each year with the Parks Department planting areas of hedging and climbing plants particularly along visually prominent boundary walls fronting roads and open space areas e.g. in Aylesbury, Old Bawn, Cookstown Road, Belgard Road, Springfield Area, etc. It is intended to build on the success of recent years with a targeted planting programme to deal with locations of persistent graffiti activity around the county where planting opportunities are available.  The planting works will be undertaken later this year as part of the 2009/2010 Arboricultural Programme.