Tbilisi is to strengthen the enforcement of legal penalties for vandalism, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs working alongside the municipality to curb such incidents, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced at a meeting of the municipal government on Wednesday.
The mayor noted that although legislation regulating vandalism has long been in place, shortcomings in enforcement have allowed the problem to persist.
“At a time when the city still faces numerous challenges, we are seeing frequent cases where individuals deliberately damage building façades in a vandalistic manner,” Kaladze said. “Over the past two years alone, nearly 5,000 incidents of vandalism have been recorded. These have affected residential and public buildings, cultural heritage monuments, facilities of various agencies, metro station entrances, bus stops, and other public spaces.”
Kaladze emphasized that while a legal framework already exists, the municipality is appealing to Parliament to further strengthen the legislation. He noted that addressing the consequences of vandalism costs tens of millions of lari—public funds that could otherwise be directed toward more pressing needs.
“These are ordinary citizens’ funds that must be spent from the budget to repair damage, instead of being used to solve other important problems facing the city,” he said.
As part of the response, the mayor instructed the head of the Tbilisi Municipal Inspection, Gogi Chikhovani, to make combating vandalism one of the agency’s top priorities. He also tasked Giorgi Papava, head of Tbilservice Group, with launching restoration works immediately to ensure damaged façades are repaired within two weeks.
Kaladze added that the municipality has already held a working meeting with Interior Minister Geka Geladze and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to discuss coordinated measures to address the issue, thanking the minister for his support.
“The involvement of various state agencies in resolving such problems is critically important,” the mayor said. “We do not take pleasure in fining anyone. I always urge citizens to respect the law and not to cross boundaries, because this city belongs to all of us. Do not damage building façades, parks, squares, or public property. Otherwise, we will be forced to strictly enforce the responsibilities defined by law.”
