UK:'Tag the taggers’

[Christina Marie]

'Tag the taggers’
By Beena Nadeem

Targeted route: police want to speak to these two boys, who set fire to the back seats on a 142 bus with a home-made flame-thrower in July. CCTV images of more youths wanted in connection with bus vandalism have also been released

Vandals as young as 11 who wreaked havoc on a bus route along the A5 (Edgware Road) in Barnet have this week had their pictures released.

Police are asking the public to name the 13 boys and two girls who are suspected of causing thousands of pounds worth of damage on the 142 route during the past year.

The images show teenagers torching bus seats using a makeshift flame-thrower, as well as suspects who have etched their tags into windows or scrawled graffiti over the buses. The suspected vandals were captured on camera around Colindale, Burnt Oak and Brent Cross, indicating, the police say, that they are likely to be Barnet residents.

The 142 bus has experienced some of the highest levels of vandalism in London, with 62 incidents reported since October 2004.

"This is a heavily hit route," said Sergeant Mick Welding, of Operation BusTag, run by the Metropolitan Police and Transport for London, along with Barnet police. "We've had 62 incidents since October 2004 and that's much higher than some routes in south London, which I know well. There's a route through Tooting that's heavily targeted and that only has 46. Bus 240 which runs through Mill Hill to Edgware doesn't have any.

"The perception of crime that this kind of anti-social behaviour causes is great.

"When someone is about to get on a bus and sees a heavily etched window, they are going to think, Oh God, I do not want to get on that bus'.

"It's a big problem for the bus companies and they have to try to keep the buses clean."

Having persistently managed to escape the radar, police are now urging anyone who knows the teenagers to tag the taggers'. Barnet police are especially keen to capture the two boys who gutted the back seats of a 142 bus on a journey from Edgware bus station in July, using a home-made flame thrower, causing £500-worth of damage. Their pictures have also been released to schools across the borough.

Particular tags are often associated with specific gangs, and buses and walls are daubed with graffiti to mark territory. It is not clear whether these teenagers are part of the same 'crew', or are acting independently. "We're not sure whether any of these suspects are in the same crew it's difficult to tell," said Sgt Welding.

"But what we do know is that tagging is a crew-related activity, so it could be possible."

PC Paul Flavin, of Operation BusTag, which specialises in tackling graffiti-related crimes, added: "We would like to identify them from the pictures, and we know this works. Last week we identified ten people in Harrow by releasing their pictures.

"It's a completely anti-social crime and it's not just buses that they will be targeting, it will be homes as well, so it's important to stop them."

Barnet police said that more than £18 million-worth of damage is caused to buses in the capital every year.

Operation BusTag was set up ten months ago, and in that time 356 people have been identified and arrested across London. Punishments for taggers can include anything from losing the right to free bus travel through to community orders, reprimands and warnings, fines and, in severe cases, imprisonment. If you know any of the teenagers pictured in the CCTV photos call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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