When a $110 million feat of engineering that takes years to construct can be trashed by a couple of punks overnight, it is easy to despair.

But throwing our hands in the air and walking away is not an option if we want a city we can be proud of. The harder, more rewarding course of action is to examine the problem with a practical eye and keep hammering away at a solution.

Last June, the Mercury launched its Halt The Hoons campaign to encourage all citizens to do their bit. The message is to think regionally and act locally: every citizen has a part to play in creating and maintaining the Illawarra we want.

Individuals can contribute by reporting acts of graffiti as soon as they appear, so the mess can be cleaned quickly to rob these criminals of the notoriety they crave. Each of us can also chip in to help with the clean-up, through events like the Mercury-organised clean-ups at Unanderra and Woonona graffiti hot spots late last year. The clean-ups ran in conjunction with the council, which is considering a campaign to get community champions to adopt a space.

These sorts of initiatives foster civic pride and are an important part of the solution. However, we need a multi-pronged attack on graffiti that includes increased policing, tougher penalties and surveillance of known hot spots.