Rotherham teenager fined during police crackdown on graffiti tagging

South Yorkshire Police have been cracking down on graffiti

A 19-YEAR-OLD man from Rotherham has been fined more than £200 after being found guilty of graffiti tagging a number of buildings in Sheffield city centre.

The man, who was also given a six-month conditional discharge, was one of two people brought before court following a crackdown on graffiti by South Yorkshire Police and council partners including Sheffield BID.

The second, a 22-year-old man from Sheffield, has been charged with criminal damage to property valued under £5000 and possessing a controlled Class B drug and is due to appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court later this month.

Two other men involved in tagging buildings in the city centre have also been given conditional cautions.

Both will be sent to court if they re-offend.

'Tagging' involves a graffiti suspect leaving their 'signature' or logo in a public place.

Neighbourhood Policing Team Constable Waqaar Hussain said: "Graffiti is a blight on communities and a number of people have rightly contacted us to express concerns around this issue.

"We want to make it clear that we will not tolerate this offending and anyone caught committing criminal damage will be dealt with.

"Please report any graffiti you see in Sheffield city centre to our NPT.

“Any information helps us to gather information and evidence to prosecute those responsible."