Tbilisi mayor vows stricter enforcement against vandalism, calls for law tightening

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has announced that the city will step up efforts to combat vandalism, working in coordination with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and called for stricter enforcement of existing laws.

Speaking at a municipal government meeting on Thursday, Kaladze said that although anti-vandalism legislation already exists, there have been challenges in its enforcement.

“While many issues in the city still need to be addressed, we are seeing repeated cases where some citizens deliberately damage building façades. Over the past two years, nearly 5,000 incidents of vandalism have been recorded. These include damage to buildings, cultural heritage sites, government offices, metro entrances, bus stops and more. The law is already in place, but we are asking parliament to strengthen it,” he said.

Kaladze emphasised the financial impact of vandalism, noting that repairing the damage costs tens of millions of lari, funds that could otherwise be spent on other pressing city issues.

The mayor instructed Gogi Chikovani, head of the Tbilisi Municipal Inspection, to make vandalism prevention a key priority. He also asked Giorgi Papava, head of the Tbilservice Group, to begin work immediately to restore building façades within two weeks.

Kaladze said that he has held discussions with Interior Minister Geka Geladze and other officials on how to address the problem, stressing that collaboration between city and state agencies is essential.

“No one wants to impose fines unnecessarily. We always ask citizens to obey the law and respect shared spaces. This city belongs to all of us. Please do not damage building façades, parks, squares, or public property. Otherwise, we will strictly enforce the law,” he added.