New rewards for graffiti arrests

Rewards of $500 will be offered to people who inform on graffiti vandals in South Australia.

The state government says rewards will be paid to people who give information that leads to a conviction.

"Graffiti vandalism is senseless and places an unnecessary cost on businesses, homeowners and ratepayers," Attorney-General John Rau said on Friday.

"Most graffiti vandals have a distinct style to their work with a tag that they use repeatedly.

"Therefore, if you suspect a tag might belong to a particular graffiti vandal, that information may be very helpful to police."

The state government recently doubled the maximum penalties for graffiti vandalism to a $5000 fine or 12-month jail term.

The laws also include a new offence of defacing cemeteries or memorials, which can result in an 18-month prison sentence.