Graffiti-eradicating vehicle returns.

In the city of Pforzheim, a new initiative has been launched to combat graffiti vandalism. The city has introduced an Anti-Graffiti Reporting Center, which can be accessed through its waste app. This new service allows citizens to report graffiti on building facades in the city area with a photo and a location description.

Mayor Peter Boch, in his New Year's speech in January, made the removal of graffiti from building facades a top priority. He has now announced the revival of the Anti-Graffiti Mobile, which was a previous initiative to combat graffiti.

Until the framework conditions for the revival are clarified, the North City Citizens' Association will continue to remove graffiti on private property with the Painters' Guild. Once the Anti-Graffiti Reporting Center is fully operational, the Technical Services of the city of Pforzheim will coordinate the deployments.

Upon receiving a report, an on-site assessment of the damage is conducted by a specialist. A discussion ensues on whether the graffiti should be removed or not, based on the assessment. If the graffiti is on a city-owned building, it will be removed directly by the Technical Services. For graffiti on private buildings, orders will be carried out by the Painters' Guild.

The Anti-Graffiti Reporting Center replaces the Youth Rights House, the North City Citizens' Association, and the Painters' Guild in coordinating deployments. Jürgen Föschler, head of the Technical Services, states that this function allows citizens to contribute to making the city cleaner and more livable.

Mayor Boch expressed his sincere thanks to Police Chief Commissioner Volker Weingardt from the Youth Rights House, who had regularly coordinated these actions and was responsible for organising the Anti-Graffiti Mobile. Weingardt's association, the SGK (Sport- und Gebäudereinigung Karlsruhe), will take over the removal of graffiti from private buildings in Pforzheim, after the coordination by the youth legal office was discontinued.

The restructuring of the program took a break at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the reorganization of sponsorship has now allowed the Anti-Graffiti Mobile to resume operations as the Anti-Graffiti Reporting Center. Mayor Boch has promised to continue the program in a new form this year.

For many years, Weingardt was the face of the Anti-Graffiti program in Pforzheim. His dedication, time, and heart invested in the young people and the actions over the years were greatly appreciated by Mayor Boch. The city of Pforzheim thanks Weingardt for his service and looks forward to the continued success of the Anti-Graffiti Reporting Center.