Graffiti grind

By Danielle Galvin
BUSINESS owners in Treloar Lane in Pakenham are fed up with the spate of recent graffiti attacks and the lack of security in the area.
Belinda Malcolm, who owns Butterfly Body Works, is frustrated by the graffiti that adorns the poles outside her business in Treloar Lane.
On the first weekend in April, the windows of the nail and beauty salon were graffitied with grotesque designs. The poles to the right of the business were also graffitied and tagged.
“We have spoken to the council about the issue and I know that a lot of businesses have contacted them to let them know about the graffiti,” she said.
Business owners believed the graffiti was a result of intoxicated teens trashing the area.
“We had to get all of the signs on the windows replaced, which is an out-of-pocket expense. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Cardinia Shire Councillor Brett Owen has been actively involved in reducing graffiti in the shire for the past four years. He is encouraging residents to report graffiti to council and police.
“The recent incident was a substantial amount of graffiti, and it is council’s responsibility to clean up graffiti if it is on council property,” he said.
Vandalism is not uncommon, with empty cans and broken windows an unfortunate reminder of the lack of security in the hidden lane. Jessica Dore has worked at Tydees hairdressing for 10 years. She believes security in the area has increased.
“Last week, I saw a security patrol car driving along the lane late at night. That was the first time I had noticed it, but I was glad that the council was doing something about it,” she said.
Council is calling for residents to contact police to make sure that offenders can be caught and prosecuted.
“It’s not just a council problem, this is an issue for the whole community. Residents should call council or police to report these incidents,” Cr Owen said.
Belinda Malcolm rents the property at 30 Treloar Lane, and she has contacted the real estate agent to mention the issue to the owner. While graffiti on privately owned businesses is the responsibility of the owner, the council does provide wash-off kits to help business owners with the cost of the vandalism. But Ms Malcolm is unhappy with the wash off kit she received and wants the council to do more about vandals in the area.
“The council did give us vouchers to buy products to clean off the graffiti when it happened a few months ago. But when we used it on the walls, it stripped the paint,” she said.
But Cr Owen said that while they were committed to helping business owners with the expense of cleaning up the graffiti, it is important that the police are involved in the fight against it.
“The population in Cardinia Shire is increasing, so it is going to be an ongoing challenge for us in the fight against vandalism,” he said.
Incidents of graffiti on council owned property should be reported by calling 1300 787 624, and anyone with information regarding the graffiti attacks on Pakenham businesses can contact the police on 5945 2500.