ARCHIVED - PolicÃa Local in Elche catch two youths graffitiing train carriages in the old train station
Train operator RENFE spent 25 million euros cleaning graffiti off its property last year
The Urban and Environmental Unit from the Policía Local in the municipality of Elche has identified two men who had spray-painted graffiti onto two train carriages in the old freight train station.
On Good Friday afternoon (April 2) police officers were alerted by a lovcal resident that two men were busy graffitiing a train and the Graffiti Unit soon identified and detained the offenders.
The graffiti in question affected over 30 metres of the train and, according to the Policía Local, the perpetrators could face up to 3 years in prison, as well as a fine.
In addition, thanks to the calligraphic report from officers in Elche, there is enough evidence to link the men to other incidences of graffiti in nearby areas in the province of Alicante.
This kind of vandalism is a frequent problem across Spain and causes damages to both public and private property alike.
The train company RENFE faces graffiti incidents on a daily basis and often has to delay or cancel services. These acts of vandalism cause security and perception problems, as well as a large economic cost: around 25 million euros was spent cleaning and repainting gradffitied trains and railway property last year. Furthermore, RENFE reported an average of 9 daily acts of vandalism in 2020, which led to an average of 35,000 euros in daily cleaning costs.