Police Graffiti Operations

Eraser 1, February 2011

The first phase of Operation Eraser commenced in February 2011. The focus of this operation was on graffiti linked to public transport and other identified hotspots. Eraser 1 included the release of 19 photographs of unidentified Persons of Interest in The West Australian newspaper.

As a result of this release Crime Stoppers received over 300 phone calls from members of the public with information assisting Police in the identification of graffiti vandals. The total effort of the operation resulted in 82 persons being charged with 301 offences.

Eraser 2, July 2011

Eraser 2 was conducted in July 2011. Again this operation targeted graffiti vandalism across public transport, large asset infrastructure, schools and local council property. The operation involved the release of images of unidentified Persons of Interest to the Community Newspapers Group, with those images depicted on the front pages of some 750,000 copies and delivered across the metropolitan area. The total effort of the operation resulted in 97 persons being charged with 589 offences.

Eraser 3, February 2012

Eraser 3 was conducted in February 2012. The media strategy for Operation Eraser 3 involved the release of images of unidentified Persons of Interest to The West Australian and the broadcast of related CCTV vision on Channel Seven News. The total effort of the operation resulted in 69 persons charged with 328 offences.

Eraser 4, April 2012

Eraser 4 was conducted in April 2012. There was no media involvement for this operation with its main areas of focus being:

• Covert surveillance on hotspots to detect and apprehend graffiti offenders;
• Active targeting of recidivist offenders from intelligence holdings; and
• Targeting retail outlets in the illegal sale of graffiti implements.

The total effort of the operation resulted in 96 persons charged with 113 offences.

Eraser 5, September 2012

Operation Eraser 5 was conducted in September 2012 over 1 week to coincide with the Perth Royal Show.  The media strategy for this operation involved the Crime Stoppers display at the Police Pavilion at the Perth Royal Show displaying the images of 17 unidentified Persons of Interest.

The total effort of the operation resulted in 74 persons charged with 249 offences.

Also, for the first time, the Midwest-Gascoyne (Geraldton) was the first regional police district to participate in this operation.

Eraser 6, April 2013

Operation Eraser 6 was conducted over the Easter Holiday period, from 1 April 2013 to 7 April 2013.  This operation was conducted across the metropolitan area, and was extended to include the two regional locations of Albany and Bunbury.

The total effort of the operation resulted in 274 offenders charged with 448 offences.

Eraser 7, October 2013

Operation Eraser 7 was conducted in late October 2013. On this occasion proactive targeting of known offenders occurred covertly with no media publicity. The operation resulted in 128 persons being charged for a total of 434 charges.

Eraser 8, May 2014

Operation Eraser 8 was conducted in May 2014 and has been considered to have achieved significant outcomes in a single week operation. The operation was conducted across the metropolitan police districts extending out to Goldfields-Esperance and South West Districts in Regional WA. The total effort of the Operation resulted in 190 persons charged with 507 offences.

Eraser 9, October 2014

Operation Eraser 9 was conducted in October 2014 and has been considered to have achieved significant outcomes in a single week operation. The operation was conducted across the metropolitan police districts. The media strategy for Eraser 9 involved the release of specific images of unidentified POI’s to the Channel 7 television network for airing during prime time evening news.  The West Australian Newspaper was also a stakeholder, printing images of Persons of Interest and news stories on operation results. The operation resulted in 575 charges laid, of which 376 were for criminal damage offences.

Quadrangle, July 2015

Operation Quadrangle was conducted in July 2015. Quadrangle involved similar key enforcement strategies to “Eraser” including the identification of graffiti offenders, execution of search warrants and targeting graffiti hot spots. In addition to this, Quadrangle had a proactive approach including community engagement opportunities and early intervention strategies to educate and raise awareness with the underpinning objective to reduce graffiti in the community in the medium to long term. Quadrangle involved the Local Policing Teams liaising with Local Councils, repeat victims and school groups.  Police attended schools and presented to youth as a key target group around the social, legal and economic consequences of graffiti in an attempt to reduce this type of offending behaviour. The operation resulted in 162 offenders processed with 407 offences.    

Quadrangle II, June 2016

Operation Quadrangle II was conducted as a multi phased operation in from 27 June to 3 July 2016.  Operation Quadrangle II incorporated enforcement strategies with the implementation of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, education and engagement strategies to raise awareness of graffiti related issues. Quadrangle II involved more than 50 school visits which were conducted in an effort to prevent graffiti from occurring into the future. Further to the school visits there were more than 100 engagements with stakeholders including local government authorities and repeat victims of graffiti offences. The operation resulted in 308 persons charged with 442 offences.

Quadrangle III, February 2017

Operation Quadrangle III was conducted from Monday 20 February 2017 to Sunday 26 February 2017. Quadrangle III built upon the successful tactics employed in previous Quadrangle operations and focused on detection, apprehension and enforcement actions, augmented by prevention and communication strategies. The operation resulted in 284 offenders processed with 497 offences.

Quadrangle IV, April 2018

Operation Quadrangle IV was conducted from Wednesday 4 April to Wednesday 11 April 2018. Quadrangle IV focused on early intervention, prevention and apprehension. The operation involved proactive engagement with recidivist offenders, intelligence gathering, community and stakeholder engagement, and public awareness activities. Over the course of Quadrangle IV police delivered 75 presentations to over 6000 students and staff. The operation resulted in 168 offenders processed with 344 charges.

Quadrangle V, August 2019

Operation Quadrangle V took place from Thursday 1 August to Sunday 11 August 2019. Quadrangle V continued to follow on from previous graffiti operations with a focus on enforcement, prevention and strengthening partnerships.
The operation ran alongside a social media campaign to create a diversion for potential offenders to legal activities. The operation resulted in 22 offenders processed with 45 charges.