Walking around the city, one has to conclude that, unfortunately, neither the beautiful, historical buildings of the center, nor the ancient buildings of Old Riga are protected from such art.
The ugliest graffiti in Riga
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We should also remind you about a very recent case, when the “Škoda” electric train, which had just arrived on the tracks of Latvia, was sucked up with such tricks.
It happened in Riga, at the wagon depot. State Police, at the end of March. In connection with the incident, a departmental investigation was started.
We also addressed the responsible authorities with questions about how this habit is limited and combated.
The Riga City Council, without saying anything exhaustive, informed that this was a matter of the State Police (VP).
The VP expressed that from time to time information is received from building owners about graffiti on buildings and other places.
“Video surveillance cameras installed in the area and eyewitness testimony can help in the investigation and capture of the culprits. It should be taken into account that buildings are usually attacked in the dark, when there are few people on the streets,” explained Gita Gzibovska, senior specialist of the police Public Relations Department.
In cases of graffiti, administrative violation proceedings can be initiated in accordance with the first part of Article 11 (on petty hooliganism) of the Law on Administrative Penalties on Violations in the Field of Administration, Public Order and the Use of the State Language.
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A fine from fourteen to one hundred fine units is applied for such a violation. One fine unit is currently 5 euros, according to the Law on Administrative Responsibility.
“However, in cases where the extent of the loss specified in the application is directly assessed, and if the material losses are large, then criminal proceedings are initiated according to Article 185 of the Criminal Law – for the intentional destruction and damage of someone else’s property,” added the police representative.
However, the VP does not have available statistics on the initiated cases specifically for drawing graffiti, taking into account that the laws do not have a single article specifically for such cases.
Therefore, more detailed, accurate information about how the trends of such violations have changed is not available.
