Pink vests make councillor see red

Communities have been forced to adopt new tactics in the war against graffiti. Photo / The Aucklander

A Wellington community police constable has come under fire for making graffiti offenders wear a pink vest while painting over their tags.

Constable Theo Gommans said the vests, emblazoned with the word "tagger", would make the offenders think about the consequences of their actions.

He had seen a reduction in tagging offences since he began touring schools with the pink vest, he said.

But Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett wants the pink vests banned. She likened them to pink triangle badges used to identify homosexuals at concentration camps in Nazi Germany.

- NZPA