Merritt experienced another wave of spray painting as RCMP responded to numerous calls on Monday.
The vandalism consisted of drawings in various areas of town all using red spray paint.
Collettville Elementary School, Wal-Mart and numerous vehicles — three in Collettville, one in Lower Nicola and another vehicle in the Bench area — were all reported to have been sprayed sometime between Sunday night and Monday.
The incidents involved drawings of genitalia and swastikas, as well as simply random spray painting. The graffiti on Wal-Mart consisted of a few red lines on its back wall.
“I don’t suspect that it’s racial profiling or anything like that, I think it’s just some ignorant person that probably doesn’t even know what a swastika is,” RCMP Const. Tracy Dunsmore said.
The similarity between the drawings led police to believe this is the work of the same vandal or vandals, and they suspect a vehicle was used given the large area covered.
Parents who have spray paint in their home or find a can of it in their kids’ backpacks should throw it away, Dunsmore advised.
“If we catch these guys, they’re probably going to end up doing restorative justice, and we’ll make them go out and clean the graffiti or somebody else’s graffiti that’s around town,” she said.
People caught committing this act of vandalism could be charged with mischief, Dunsmore said.
Merritt had a similar wave of spray painting calls earlier this year.
Dunsmore said people can pick up graffiti remover at the Community Policing Office on Quilchena Avenue that will eliminate the spray paint from tagged vehicles.
Anyone with information regarding the graffiti is asked to call the RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
