Portsmouth council ramps up efforts in graffiti removal

Since January 2022, a total of 299 graffiti removals have been undertaken, by Portsmouth City Council including repeat visits to some areas. At a recent meeting, councillors were briefed on the council’s ongoing efforts to combat graffiti and improve the city’s appearance.

The responsibility for reporting graffiti lies with all council staff, but the task is mainly carried out by the Community Warden and the Environmental Enforcement (Safe, Clean and Tidy – SCT) team.

Hotspot areas, which have seen more than 10 reports of graffiti each in the last eight months, have been identified along Commercial Road, Bransbury Road, Arundel Street, and London Road. Charles Dickens ward has recorded the highest number of graffiti reports, followed by Fratton.

Of the 236 reports received by the SCT team, the majority came from patrols by community wardens, with 149 reports logged by the wardens themselves. Other sources include members of the public, councillors, and council staff.

Cllr Dave Ashmore, cabinet member for environmental services, praised the efforts: “You can see how well the team has done and how it improves an area. You see how it looked before, you get a certain perception of it, and when it’s removed, it looks a lot newer.”

To tackle graffiti hotspots, the council has increased patrols, considered the use of re-deployable cameras, and conducted additional CCTV checks. These efforts are supported by anti-social behaviour patrols, partially funded by the Office of the Police Crime Commissioner (OPCC).

An Environmental Tasking Co-ordinating Group (ETCG) has also been established to meet monthly, addressing issues and developing strategies to resolve graffiti problems. A feature in the council’s winter edition of Flagship will provide updates on its actions and inform residents how to report issues like graffiti affecting their streets.