I just wanted to show the story of @brumpolice on twitter resolving a racist graffiti problem on some Bradford Street building site hoardings after I told them about it. I thought was pretty brilliantly responsive of them, especially considering they took the time to report it to Birmingham City Council twice after being told they couldn’t log the problem without a postal address the first time, despite having good location details.
Journalist Adam Yousef’s response to this conversation is important – ‘How long’s he been doing the rounds and how has CCTV never been picked him up?’ There may be mixed views on the advantages of CCTV, but we’ve had a racist graffiti problem with Digbeth’s building site hoardings as long as I can remember and I’ve lived here for over four years. The culprit/s sadly seems to be persistent and prolific so be sure to keep a watchful eye on the many local hoardings. You can report any problems to the Nechells Neighbourhood Police team and log problems like graffiti, fly tipping, broken paving slabs, or street lighting online with Fix My Street, who will automatically send it to the council on your behalf.
Now this is impressive – the police using Twitter is not a new phenomenon – but getting such prompt, suitable action from them is; well done to all concerned.