Two taggers caught in the act by a Matrix Security Officer found themselves in need of assistance after attempting a badly planned escape.

Auckland’s graffiti problem is fairly well spread across the city – with abandoned buildings being particularly prone to illegal graffiti paintwork. Recently a Matrix Security patrol officer was on a routine foot patrol of the Orakei Bay Village redevelopment when he came across two males who appeared to be tagging the back of the building. The offenders attempted escape was either very unlucky or foolishly fearless. The fence they attempted to escape over had a 15-foot drop on the other side.

Both men were badly injured by the fall so our officer immediately contacted emergency services for assistance. Being familiar with the precinct our staff were able to guide the police and ambulance staff to reach the men safely.

The police confirmed the two men were well-known taggers and were amongst over 632 identified graffiti offenders presently operating around Auckland. They certainly won’t be happy to have been caught out by our officer that night; however the presence of Matrix Security in this instance prevented further damage to the building and enabled the fast and safe assistance of emergency services.

With the council being required to clean up over 75,000 tags across the city in the past 2 years, hopefully, this accident will deter other young taggers from damaging our communities and city.