By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC

 

HAVE you seen a name pop up in public places in Churchill?

While we don’t think it is infamous Australian rapper Kerser, someone going by the name “Kesker Oner” has been plastering his tag among many others across the town.

Street signs and walls have not been safe from the graffiti, but Latrobe City Council is quick to clean up the streets.

Common: A ‘tag’ reappearing across town is the one of ‘Kesker Oner’. Photograph: Zaida Glibanovic

Council staff aim to remove all graffiti on property owned by the council as quickly as possible, the council’s website says.

The council regularly inspects its assets, such as toilets, skate parks and playgrounds, to identify and resolve issues, including graffiti at these locations.

Churchill resident Clint Mitten says that despite the clean-up effort, the graffiti continues to reappear.

“Graffiti is now becoming a regular eyesore,” Mr Mitten told the Latrobe Valley Express.

“It’s just ugly.”

Everyday, Mr Mitten walks to Pizza HQ for his morning coffee, but his walks have been less serene with the presence of the unwanted artistic expression.

Eye-sore: Graffiti like this on private property can be reported to the Churchill Police Station.

“It’s such a lovely little walk across the park, but particularly in the last couple of weeks, it’s been quite prolific with graffiti,” he said.

The council said it had not seen a big increase in reported graffiti instances in Churchill.

But Mr Mitten said the issue had only recently worsened since the school holidays had begun.

“It’s been worse over the holidays,” he said.

“When it is cleaned up and removed, no quicker does it appear again in volume,” he added.

The council has a commitment to enhancing the visual appearance of its municipality to ensure it is a place where people feel safe, connected, and proud of their space.

Council’s graffiti operational policy provides a response timeframe for the removal of graffiti on council-owned assets of two working days for offensive graffiti and seven working days for non-offensive graffiti.

Ugly: Latrobe City Council work hard to remove the graffiti and preserve the beauty of its towns. Photograph Zaida Glibanovic

Where requested, council officers will provide guidance and advice in assisting residents and local businesses with graffiti removal on private assets, but they do not remove graffiti from private property.

Churchill police are aware of four graffiti instances in 2023 on private property but have not seen an increase in reporting.

“It is something we work hard to prevent and have identified a number of offenders over recent history, but unfortunately, it’s a theme of offending that no sooner do some people grow out of it … someone else grows into it,” a Churchill police spokesperson said.

Nowhere is safe: The vandal’s work is often covered up within a few days but reappears within the next week. Photographs supplied

While an increase in graffiti vandalism in Churchill is not documented, if residents do see an issue, they can report it on the Snap Send Solve app.

The Snap Send Solve app allows residents to instantly report graffiti to the council. Reporting through this app will help the council in removing and rectifying graffiti issues in a timely manner.