IGNORING acts of graffiti runs the risk of making it become acceptable. Vale deputy Graham Guille said the mindless few should not be allowed to get away with such actions, which detracted from others’ enjoyment of the environment.

‘It’s an insidious type of crime that lowers the standards of people’s everyday lives and eventually they give up trying to stop it,’ he said.

Deputy Guille, a member of the Home Department, has written to police chief George Le Page to let him know his views.

‘I understand it will not be a priority given other issues that the police have to deal with,’ he said.

Deputy Guille said the problem appeared to be particularly bad in St Sampson’s and, as a States representative from that end of the island, he wanted to raise awareness of the matter.

‘I have not gone looking for it ‘graffiti’ but it seems to me to be happening more and more.

‘What holidaymakers think of it when they drive past I just don’t know. It’s appalling and we all have a responsibility to do our best to stop it happening.’

Mr Le Page said he sympathised with Deputy Guille’s view.

He said the force was aware of a recent upsurge in this type of behaviour.

It was currently following lines of inquiry.

It was a matter of social responsibility, he said, and what might appear to be good fun for a small group of people had consequences that went beyond that for others.

‘It may appear quite insignificant to spray a motif on a wall, but that wall is someone’s property, whether private or public, and it has to be cleaned,’ he said.

The perpetrators ran the risk of appearing in court accused of a criminal damage offence.

‘Sometimes the artwork can be quite offensive and hurtful to people,’ he said.

Many people took pride in the island and their property and this type of behaviour impacted on that out of all proportion and was unwelcome and unwarranted.

‘I would urge anybody who has information or sees people in the act of committing this crime to contact us straight away,’ said Mr Le Page.