A campaign to tackle graffiti and encourage reporting in Langley is launching today (Monday).
The council’s community safety team is joining forces with the charity Crimestoppers to encourage people to anonymously report persistent graffiti offenders to Crimestoppers and to report the locations of graffiti to the council.
During the four-week campaign, there will be a concerted effort to clean off graffiti tags in Langley, which has had prolific tags left throughout the area in recent months. It is part of the Safer Langley initiative to tackle crime and disorder in Langley.
The community safety team, along with help from the Langley Neighbourhood Action Group, has been mapping the tags and working out a plan for removal. Particular tags have appeared on bus stops, walls, shop shutters, bins, utility boxes and on private property.
Councillor Ejaz Ahmed, lead member for Communities, Sport, Leisure and Public Protection, said: “Graffiti is criminal damage. We want to send a clear message to stop tagging Langley and that graffiti is not welcome anywhere in Slough. There is no need to ruin our community spaces with mindless graffiti. It makes the area look untidy and may make people feel unsafe.
“We hope that by encouraging and empowering people to report incidents of graffiti and details of those who commit the criminal act, it will reduce the occurrences and improve the area for everyone. Businesses and private landowners should also always report any graffiti on their premises as it helps police to build a more complete picture.
“We also hope that by having this focus on graffiti, it will deter others from getting involved and placing new graffiti.”
The Crimestoppers van will be travelling around Langley on Monday (23) and stopping in various places to speak to residents, businesses, and others about the campaign.
Throughout the four weeks, our housing repairs contractor Cardo will continue to remove tags from council land. Our environmental services team will be out removing tags from other public spaces during this campaign and beyond.
The charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for anonymous information given directly to them that leads to the arrest and charge of anyone involved. When you give information to Crimestoppers your device cannot be traced and you will never be asked for your name. You will remain 100% anonymous and the charity will pass the information to the police on your behalf.
To give information on who is responsible for the graffiti that’s appearing in Langley, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or via their website.
Reports about offenders can be made to Thames Valley Police on the non-emergency line, 101, or online.
You can report locations of graffiti to the council via the graffiti removal form.