Too many tags in Rouen? “We intervene as quickly as possible”, assures the City
By Julien Bottler
Published on
We pass some without seeing them, so long have they been there. Others jump out at you. A Rouen as in most cities, the fight against tags is a real issue of cleanliness. What means are used here to erase them? Make the point.
Six people to erase tags in Rouen
The protesters, sometimes artistic, or simple drawings signing a passage, the tags (not to be confused with the works of street-art) are numerous and regularly tarnish the facades or the street furniture.
At Rouen, a team of six people is in charge of erasing them, we indicate Kader Chekhemani, deputy mayor in charge of cleanliness. Unlike other cities, here, we do not call on an outside company.
“As for wild dumping of garbage, our objective with the tags is to intervene as quickly as possible with each report”, presents the elected official. Goal : a deletion within 24-48 hours following the report.
The approach is free and the application can be done online. At the town hall, on advocates “efficiency”.
The tag attracting the tag, the faster they are removed, the fewer there are.
In all, according to the assistant, “every year we withdraw about 7000m² of tags, at a cost of 280,000 euros”. By way of comparison: not even twice as large and twice as populated, the City of Lille in one removed more than 54,000m² in 2020.
Difficulty erasing certain tags
How to explain this difference? And why have some tags been there for years in Rouen?
“On my facade, there has been ugly graffiti for three years,” Claude, a resident of the Rouen hypercentre, tells us. “I made the removal request but as there are several owners in the building, they all have to give their consent. »
There are indeed some brakes on the will displayed by the town hall of Rouen. “Except for abusive, defamatory, racist tags, in short all those who fall under the law, on request the agreement of the owner(s) good”, confirms Kader Chekhemani. “It’s true that in some buildings, with several owners or owners who don’t live in the region, this complicates the task. »
Especially since according to several residents with tagged facades that we interviewed, it is up to the owners to report to the town hall. “The City is not proactive, it does not go looking for owners,” remarks Claude.
Some conditions for the removal of tags
The City only removes beacons if they are on a facade at the edge of the public road, and less than 2 meters high, for security reasons, and on walls or fences that are not too fragile. These will come from the intervention (paying this time) of specialized companies.
In addition, the City’s cleanliness services can also intervene on wild collages.
No filing of complaints against repeat offenders
Nor is there any question for the moment of the City of Rouen considering complaints filed as is the case of the town hall of Paris against repeat offenders. For Kader Chekhemani, “it is not given effective, because the police must be able to find the perpetrators. And here, we don’t really have any identified repeat offenders. I have nothing against filing a complaint, but if it is to create a game of cat and mouse…”
The deputy again and again praises an ambition for efficiency and also highlights the municipal policy of provision of walls for street-art, in order to regulate the practice while offering beautiful works for all to see. And on the tags, the chosen one to advance that “for a few years, it seems to me objectively that we have reduced the number of them”.
As a reminder, a tag, if it only causes light damage, is liable a maximum fine of 3750 euros. The tagger can also get community service. These penalties can be increased (a fine of up to 15,000 euros) if the beacons target the property of police officers and gendarmes, magistrates or their spouses, if these inscriptions are intended to intimidate him. Other aggravating circumstances, the tag made by breaking into the premises, committed in a meeting or with a concealed face. Finally, if the graffiti causes significant damage (permanent damage to a building or an art object, for example), the author faces up to two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros.
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