Deer Park Alliance Church in Red Deer is the latest church requiring graffiti removal.
The north side of the church, a nearby fence and shed on the property were all tagged Sunday night.
TerryLee Ropchan, executive director of Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre, said large buildings walls, like a church or school, are as seen as bigger canvases.
“Typically, if there isn’t a lot of lighting on the building in the evening hours that’s a place for them to work unnoticed,” Ropchan said on Tuesday.
Recently she also saw a small amount of graffiti at Holy Family School, also in Deer Park.
“In most instances, the graffiti isn’t big works of art that take a lot of time. They’re just kind of walking by, it takes 15 seconds. (Paint) can back in the pocket, and away they go.”
She said people have noticed a general increase in graffiti in Red Deer, but Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre plans to scub the paint away, with the help of 60 volunteers, on Aug. 24 at least in the downtown. “We’re going to do a big sweep through the downtown core on that Saturday afternoon and get all the graffiti. Just kind of really clean it up before the fall and winter sets in.”
Ropchan said if the sweep goes well, more will be planned for next year in different parts of the city because the spray painting happens everywhere.
The centre also has a youth action team that cleans away graffiti as one of its random acts of kindness, and the centre sells products to remove the paint.
For more information about Central Alberta Crime Prevention Centre, located at 108-4711 51st Ave., call 403-986-9904
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com