GRAFFITI such as tags, posters, stickers, chalking and scratchings on public assets are all on the decline, according to statistics from the Australian Graffiti Register.

The register, used by the ACT Government, shows that in the period from January 1 this year to August 24, 114 sites in the Civic area were cleaned covering 265sqm, down from the same period last year that recorded 157 sites cleaned over 450sqm of space.

Territory and Municipal Services’ city operations manager Steve Amos said the decline in figures could be a result of a combination of factors including added surveillance and the efficiency of city cleaners.

“I can’t put a finger on what it is but it could be the combined strategy between the ACT Government and Canberra CBD Limited of removing graffiti as soon as we can,” he said.

He said bill posters were the main source of graffiti in the city and he hoped the strategy will prove this as a wasted effort.

The Australian Graffiti Register is an online database that allows the ACT Government to register, track, report and archive graffiti through photographs.

Mr Amos said the register has been a helpful tool in tracking the movements of vandals across the ACT.

“It’s great to have a record of the graffiti,” he said.

“We now have a lot of information and can work out the hot spots for graffiti and get a visual picture of what type of graffiti is being done.”

He said ridding the city of graffiti completely may not be a realistic goal, but TAMS and cleaning contractors would continue to work with the public to keep the city streets tidy.

“Graffiti does give [the public] the wrong impression,” he said.

“People don’t feel safe. It would be good to rid the city of tags and offensive graffiti completely.

“But we do remove offensive graffiti within 24 hours from the report and within three days for other graffiti.”

TAMS employs 24 staff cleaning the city area, working 365 days a year.