There has been an increase in the incidence of "tagging" in Carterton recently. What do you intend doing to (a) apprehend the offenders, and (b) what initiatives will you bring to the table to combat this reckless and cost consuming behaviour?
Lyndon
Candidate Answers
Candidate
Answer
Tagging is not an acceptable behaviour. Where perpetrators are identified, firm action must be taken through the justice system. Police and property owners, including Council, must view tagging as a crime.
It destroys private property, causes untold misery for ordinary householders and businesses, and costs thousands of dollars annually to clean up.
The taggers are part of our community. Generally they are the under educated, the unmotivated and the disengaged. We have a responsibility to ensure our children have positive experiences, encouragements and constructive alternatives available so that they lead productive and contributing lives.
The Youth Centre will open the doors for a variety of activities to take place involving the community and the Police.
Likewise, the “Peoples networks” has successfully drawn traditional non-users into the Library where they are exposed to various literacy initiatives and encouragements.
Having had personal experience of this happening, I would support catching those responsible, have them prosecuted, fined and also pay for the mess to be removed and the building repainted where necessary. If they are not working and under 18 then their parents be held responsible for the building reparations and also the offender placed under a curfew until 18. This \"tagging\" ultimately increases the costs of the services from whatever enterprise is tagged as it increases their overhead costs and all Residents and Ratepayers should be watching for and reporting these offences as Community Service.
Hi Lyndon,
tagging is unacceptable antisocial behaviour that is indicative of a persons disconnection and disassociation with their community/neighbourhood. There is a need for a carrot and stick approach.
The carrot is to ensure that young people/youth have oppertunities to be part of the community - partly achieved by suitable facilities and events for youth to participate in which I fully support. Secondly to work at raising the educational/literacy acheivements of our children so they grow up with a sense of connection to and responsibility towards, and a desire to contribute to their society. The simplistic solution to install security cameras only moves the problem to locations where there are no cameras. And why should the criminal behaviour of a few force us to live in a community full of security cameras.
Those who chose not to be part of the community and act anitisocially must be sanctioned. The stick must be the wider communities response via local policing and the courts. I believe that taggers should pay the full the full cost of the damage to property. Tagging is the thin edge of the wedge and the community needs to take a zero tolerance stance to tagging.
