CRIMEFIGHTERS have named York Police's graffiti-busting campaign as the most successful of its kind ever run in the UK.

Crimestoppers regional co-ordinator Detective Sergeant Ian Frogget said the initiative, which was backed by the Evening Press, was "astounding".

Five people have been arrested and two teenage vandals dealt with by the courts since the Press launched "turn in a tagger" four months ago.

The blitz urged residents to help officers identify the hands behind graffiti "tags" - the unsightly signatures vandals use to identify their work.

One cash reward of up to £1,000 has already been paid out to a person who gave information about a vandal to Crimestoppers.

Det Sgt Frogget said: "For the size of the area, this is the most successful graffiti campaign in the country. Larger urban areas cannot match it. The quality of information combined with the skills and tenacity of the receiving officers led to five people being arrested and either charged or cautioned.

"Interestingly, the number of offences detected by the police from the five arrests was 25, which is far greater than any other campaign I am aware of.

"The cost of repairing the damage caused by these 25 offences was also by far the greatest recorded."

He added that the Evening Press had played a large role in bringing the offences to the attention of the public. Inspector Colin Moreton, of York Police, said the campaign, which was led by Sergeant Richard Crinnion, had been a huge success.

Two weeks ago vandal Daniel Farmeary, 18, was ordered to spend 180 hours cleaning up graffiti after admitting to causing damage estimated at more than £6,000 over two years.

He was accompanied in court by fellow graffiti vandal Alan Crosby, 19, of Acomb, who in April was threatened with prison, but escaped with a 200-hour community punishment.

York Police have created a database of distinctive graffiti tags which they hope will help them link offences and target offenders.

Council figures reveal that last year there were more than 500 graffiti attacks on public property. Police suspect the scale of the problem is much bigger.

The Metropolitan Police ran a similar graffiti campaign several years ago which resulted in a handful of arrests and only one charge. A West Yorkshire version led to five people being arrested and charged over six months.

Updated: 09:59 Tuesday, June 14, 2005