Irish Rail spent €350,000 removing graffiti from trains in 2015 as new figures show a surge in the activity.
The company recorded 172 instances of graffiti in the Dublin suburban region in 2015 compared to 57 in 2014.
Vandalism – targeted damage of property – also increased, going from 35 instances in 2014 to 79 last year.
There were also 288 instances of trespass recorded in 2015, an increase of 10 on the previous year, and an increase of 50 in the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour (306).
‘Romantic notion’
Assistant station manager at Connolly Station Gavin Collins said there seems to be “a romantic notion that graffiti is a bit of art, a bit of Banksy, it’s great. It’s not. It’s a blight on our community.”
He told Dublin city councillors that it is “probably the number one bane of my life” and said he believed the judiciary do not take the matter seriously. “Regretfully, the judiciary do not weigh this heavily enough.”
Mr Collins said graffiti was the most difficult criminal activity for Irish Rail on which to get a result in the courts.The issue is “very complex” and tends to involve underage offenders across the city.
‘Like ninjas’
It is tied up with the issue of trespassing, he said, adding that people have been caught on CCTV climbing over trains and around station platforms “like ninjas”.
He said he hoped to see an increase in the number of prosecutions in 2016 to “send a strong message” that it is unacceptable to cause criminal damage to trains.
New operations would be run in the coming year to tackle fare evasion and anti-social behaviour, he added. Councillors heard there was “a case to be argued” for the introduction of dedicated transport police.
‘A rampage’
According to Mr Collins, in one episode a group of about 10 people went on “a rampage” between Skerries and Donabate stations, damaging cars along the way. In another incident an arson attack was carried out in Greystones station.
Assistant Garda Commissioner Jack Nolan said graffiti falls under the category of criminal damage and it was a matter that could be tackled through education.
He said the Garda schools programme does not deal with graffiti, but the issue seemed serious enough to warrant a recommendation on its inclusion.
