City ups the bounty for graffiti vandals

KELOWNA – Taggers beware! The City of Kelowna and Crimestoppers have just upped the bounty on spray-paint vandalism.

Previously, a would-be whistle-blower could only count on a reward of up to $500. The new initiative promises the full $500 as soon as an arrest is made.

“Cleaning up graffiti comes with a price tag and Kelowna taxpayers are the ones footing the bill,” graffiti eradication and prevention coordinator Scott Isfan said. “Graffiti on public and private property is vandalism not art.”

The move comes after a surge in tagging in and around downtown Kelowna in the few weeks. Last year, the city reported 6,600 services requests for graffiti which cost $280,000.

Isfan says bylaw enforcement officers can’t be everywhere at once, hence the decision to appeal directly to the public to report graffiti offences.

“There are social and economic consequences to graffiti vandalism,” he said. “If not immediately removed, graffiti serves as an invitation to littering, loitering, additional graffiti and other forms of crime.”

Anyone wishing to report a tagger can call 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip online at www.crimestoppers.net.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infotelnews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.