Graffiti is a national problem, although it’s worse in Southern California because of gangs and gang wannabes.

Graffiti is troublesome for Thousand Oaks, just like everywhere else.

No community is immune.

Graffiti won’t go away soon and might be a permanent problem. After all, it’s been around for a very long time.

The word graffiti, according to “The Oxford Companion to the English Language” came from both Greek and Latin, so we can safely assume that graffiti has existed since ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. People have been scribbling on walls since the beginning of time. Even cavemen drew pictures. It’s a bigger problem now than any time before.

Preventing and removing graffiti requires a proactive approach from municipalities, residents and businesses. Although cops certainly have a role to play, we cannot expect them to catch every culprit who carries a felt-tip marker or can of spray paint. Cities can’t afford a police officer 24/7 on every street corner.

Graffiti vandals may be thoughtless, but they don’t want to be caught; they commit their crimes when nobody’s around.

In Conejo Valley, it’s probably a handful of perpetrators who commit most of the graffiti vandalism.

Graffiti among gangs is like wild animals declaring their territory by urinating. When caught, vandals should be prosecuted to the maximum sentences allowable by law, and mandatory punishment that forces them to clean up graffiti is justice in its purest form.

The best preventions are Neighborhood Watch and immediate removal of graffiti wherever it happens. Once it begins, it’s nearly impossible to stop. It’s like the first person who writes on a bathroom wall. The first graffiti launches a never-ending cycle that continues until somebody finally repaints the wall.

If you see graffiti on your property, it’s your responsibility as a citizen or business owner to remove it immediately.

If the city intervenes, you may be charged for its removal because taxpayers cannot be expected to pay for everything.

All of us have a role to play in the fight against graffiti.