Corowa Police have apprehended graffiti vandals thanks to CCTV footage submitted by local businesses.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
A community effort to produce CCTV footage of vandals on a graffiti spree around Corowa has directly resulted in their identification and the subsequent arrest of a 16-year-old Albury youth.
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The August 3 spree, which saw more than a dozen tags sprayed up the length of Sanger St and at the skate park, as well a house broken into and vandalized, left local police and residents angered as the perpetrators fled town.
Corowa Police Sgt Steve Marshall reached out to locals, including the business chamber, in search of any additional CCTV footage that could lead to identifying the suspects.
“This was not just me, this was a community effort,” Sgt Marshall said.
“I reached out to the local business chamber and asked them to circulate among the businesses a request for any CCTV footage that might help.
“We received two recordings, which showed two young people perpetrating the graffiti on Sanger St, with a third person present.
“A third high-quality recording left no doubt to their identities.”
The eyesore was left around Corowa by vandals in a spree that included breaking into and vandalising the inside of a house.
The suspects had fled to Albury and last Thursday police received a tip-off that they were returning to Corowa, including a description of their vehicle.
Subsequently, a 16-year-old Albury youth was charged with seven graffiti offences and one count of breaking and entering.
Bail was refused and he was remanded to juvenile detention.
A 14-year-old accomplice was not charged, but was dealt with by police under the Young Offenders Act.
The third person identified in the CCTV footage was treated as a witness.
“None of this could have been possible without the CCTV footage provided by the businesses in Sanger St,” Sgt Marshall said.
“I see the potential to increase our CCTV capabilities, particularly in the main street.
“Not only does it help to identify offenders, it helps to deter them from committing crimes in the first place.”
