Tauranga police are conducting an underage sales sting on retailers of spray paint cans.
'The sale of spray cans to those under the age of 18 is an offence under the Summary Offences Act, with the onus on the seller to check the purchaser is 18 years or older,” says Community Constable Aaron Fraser.
Other elements of the legislation include having spray cans located in a locked display cabinet and visible signage informing customers of the age requirement.
He says most retailers comply with the legislation and are committed to playing their role in helping keep their local communities graffiti-free.
'Unfortunately there are those who are not quite so vigilant, so this joint operation has been aimed at checking some of our local retailers and reinforcing the importance of staying vigilant.
'Obviously we're really happy with the results – all of the retailers involved asked our volunteer for his age and refused to sell to him because he was underage.
'This is a great start – the more difficult we make it for young people to get their hands on spray paint, the risk of graffiti in our communities reduces.”
Aaron says the joint operation with the Tauranga City Council, which has tested six retailers, deliberately coincides with the school holidays.
'Graffiti can be a problem for most communities in New Zealand, and unfortunately ours is no different,” says Aaron.
'Spray paint is the main tool used to cause vandalism in New Zealand, so one of the most effective means to reduce the potential is to ensure that young people aren't able to buy spray cans in the first place.”
Tauranga City Council's graffiti prevention officer, Jane Denton, agrees.
'It was great to see that the message has been taken on board by our retailers,” says Jane.
'Retailers play a huge part in the fight against graffiti and the council is very pleased with the results of this operation.”
Aaron says the public has a key role to play in reducing graffiti in neighbourhoods.
'If people see graffiti happening, please report it immediately by calling 111 or contacting the local police.
'As with any crime, the sooner police are informed, the better chance we have of catching the offenders and being able to hold them accountable.
'There are systems in place to hold offenders accountable, regardless of their age, so it's important that we have the information to act.”
Aaron says if a property is subject to graffiti it's important to point it out as soon as possible, as research shows that quick removal is the best deterrent against future graffiti.
6 comments
Vivid markers
Posted on 20-04-2011 05:07 | By whodaman
Pity there is no sales restriction on vivids. They are used just as much if not more than spraypaint
Wrong question
Posted on 20-04-2011 09:27 | By Chris
The question isn't whether the retailers are refusing sales - the question is whether the legislative change has had an effect on the amount of graffiti. There's no sense having these typesof restrictions is the legislation isn't effect in its goal. Is there any data on this?
Gonco
Posted on 20-04-2011 15:36 | By congo60
Pity they don't target the newspapers and the for sale columns, they were advertising spray paint cans (new) for $7.00. Much cheaper than the retailers!
To what point
Posted on 20-04-2011 16:26 | By tibs
When you look at the expense of installing all the cages and special measures and they find all outlets they check compliant with the law. Has tagging stopped? No, so what''s been the benefit of this sort of Labour initiated knee jerk reaction? Nil, but we people who use these aerosols legitimately as part of our businesses are inevitably paying more to compensate the expense the trade outlets and retailers have been forced to spend. Perhaps even the non users are being penalised too. The next initiative they seem to want is for knives to be kept under lock and key where they're sold. I wonder what the statistics are for stabbings where the attacker has gone out purposefully to purchase a knife for a stabbing? A "joint" operation with TCC and they've checked SIX outlets! I wonder how long they spent doing it? Less than a day, I hope. What the heck has it got to do with the TCC, anyway? Has this been a good use of Police time?
Graffiti
Posted on 20-04-2011 17:52 | By Glen Clova
Waste of time as when caught they get a pathetic sentence. They should be flogged like in Singapore,a few marks on their backside to remember them of what will happen next time they disfigure someones property.Another thing they could do is make them spray their family home .
AB
Posted on 21-04-2011 09:44 | By Alan Baker
Restricting sales to recognized businesses only would achieve more. Who else actually needs to use a spray can anyway?
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