Published on Wednesday, Jun 11 2008 by
Whether it’s a 24 hour emergency call out, one-off visit or a long term maintenance contract, we can provide the total solution.
Community Clean has over 12 years industry experience providing a complete graffiti removal and anti-graffiti service. We are an inaugural member of the Anti-Graffiti Association and join them in their aim to promote Best Practice in the management of Graffiti, Vandalism and related crime. Our services have been supplied to local and central government including embassies, the prison service and medical institutions. We’ve also been used by major construction and civil engineering contractors, transport operators, housing associations and the private sector. In addition, we are regarded as one of the country’s leading surface coatings provider and supply an innovative consultancy and strategic planning service.
The type of work we do has a hugely positive impact on local communities, producing areas where people are proud to live and eager to visit. Quick removal and ongoing prevention is very important and is something we specialise in. For example, to remove graffiti from a non-protected surface can be approximately 60-80% more expensive than from a fully protected anti graffiti surface. The only effective way to manage surface contamination is to use the latest, high performance products and surface treatments. That’s why we’ve always believed that prevention is better than a cure.
What makes graffiti a crime is not its content or artistic quality, but that in most cases, it takes place on items of property that belong to somebody else. If no consent has been given by the property owner it is illegal and considered as Criminal Damage. To quote well-known artist Banksy, “All artists are prepared to suffer for their work but why are so few prepared to learn to draw?” It is irrelevant how good we think the graffiti is and sometimes it is a shame it has to be removed. However in our experience, the type of graffiti we remove is mostly non-artistic.
Here at Community Clean we believe that using the right surface coating makes future maintenance easier and more efficient. This belief constantly drives us to research and develop the very best products. Due to our experience, we are often asked to give advice on what coatings should be used in a specific scenario to ensure maximum durability. We believe it would be beneficial if architects and town planners would consider preventative coatings at the design and building stage. These protective measures are not just aimed at graffiti, they should also be considered for pavements to combat general grime and gum.
We believe a strategy for ongoing preventative maintenance is more effective than infrequent purges. Ongoing projects reduce the level of graffiti and make it more manageable, thus improving the public’s perception of the community in which they live. It is also a more cost effective approach. We work alongside local authorities who agree that a long term partnership, concentrating on removal, prosecution and education is highly effective. In turn, this strategy can help budgets go further and clearly identify what can be achieved by both the public and clients alike. The more awareness we raise the more people there will be reporting and tackling anti-social behaviour.
This story was originally printed in the June/July issue of Local Government Executive, volume 32.
