Jan 15 2004

POLICE in Ashtead have made two arrests involving graffiti in less than a week and are promising to continue the crack down on vandals.

In the latest incident a 17-year-old from Ashtead was arrested last Wednesday following an investigation between Surrey Police and British Transport Police.

He was arrested on suspicion of committing numerous offences of graffiti in Ashtead, including the railway station, and has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

This follows an incident on Saturday January 3 when an officer on patrol moved on a group of youngsters from a bus shelter in Barnett Wood Lane.

He discovered a pen on the floor and fresh graffiti on the shelter and went to Ashtead railway station, where he arrrested a 16-year-old boy from Leatherhead, who had been one of the group.

The youth had paint on his hands and admitted the offence. He was given a reprimand.

The tough stance by police is part of the Stop Graffiti campaign, which was launched in July 2002 and is jointly supported by Surrey Police, Mole Valley District Council and the Advertiser.

The campaign aims to restrict the sale to under 18s of anything that could be used for graffiti as well as raise public awareness that anyone convicted will end up with a criminal record and could be fined up to £2,500.

PC Jason Woods, the NSO (Neighbourhood Specialist Officer) for Ashtead, said: "There has been an increase in graffiti incidents, in Ashtead particularly in the train station area. I hope that these recent arrests demonstrate to residents and vandals that we take this issue very seriously.

"We are receiving more and more intelligence about who the culprits are and further arrests will follow shortly."

PC Woods added that last week he, PC Mike Bessent, the crime reduction officer for Mole Valley, and PC Corner, from British Transport Police, had a meeting with the senior management from South Central Trains to discuss what could be done.

The train company has appointed security guards to patrol Ashtead and Leather-head stations and has assured police that improvements will be made to the stations' CCTV soon.

"Ashtead is a very pleasant place to live and work and we are aiming to keep it that way by targeting the mindless few who are responsible for the town's graffiti," PC Woods said. "Graffiti only serves to heighten the fear of crime in an area when, in reality, Ashtead is a safe place to live. It is important for us to stamp out this problem from the town."

Anyone with any information about graffiti at Ashtead railway station can contact PC Woods at Leatherhead Police Station on 01306 676834, or they can speak to PC Corner on 0207 9222681.

Anyone who has any information on graffiti in Mole Valley, or sees a new piece of graffiti or knows someone who boasts about tagging can call the Surrey Police graffiti hotline on 01306 676858 where there is a 24-hour answerphone to take messages.

People can also report graffiti sites by calling the council's graffiti hotline on 01306 879190 or by logging on to www.molevalley.gov.uk

They can also borrow a free graffiti cleaning kit from the council by calling 01306 879289.