Graffiti Prevention - Practical Tips and Ideas

Graffiti is the illegal spraying of paint, dye, permanent inks or other substances to mark buildings, fences and surfaces open to the public. It is a community problem that drives down business revenue, lowers property values and promotes a view that it is an unsafe community.
The following ideas can help graffiti prevention and graffiti removal:
o Remove graffiti as soon as possible. Graffiti vandals move to another location once their "art" isn't displayed any longer. Graffiti is easier to remove in the first 24 hours as it hasn't been exposed to the elements for too long and hasn't had much of a chance to penetrate into the surface.
o Install video surveillance cameras
o Install lights, maybe sensor lights.
o Make access to the site harder. Install gardens with thorny plants or shrubs near to or to cover walls. Move bins from near walls as they are great climbing tools for access to roofs.
o Keep your property looking neat and clean. A property that looks neglected attracts graffiti vandalism.
o Install a sensor sprinkler system
o Take photos and report graffiti to the Police as they sometimes keep a database of graffiti in the area
o Apply a sacrificial or non-sacrificial anti-graffiti coating to the surface. An anti-graffiti coating is a transparent layer that can be applied to porous materials such as brick, limestone, concrete, etc. as well as metal. The layer of coating keeps the graffiti at the surface, not letting it penetrate into the porous surface which makes the removal of the graffiti much easier. You should choose the best coating that suits your particular situation.