In short:
A man has been arrested after an hours-long stand-off with police on top of a 140-metre tower on a Melbourne bridge, which delayed thousands of drivers on CityLink and West Gate Freeway.
Police say the trespasser scaled the bridge and abseiled down the concrete pillar to spray-paint the notorious Pam the Bird character on the surface in the early hours.
The man lowered himself to the ground and was detained by police at 11am.
An hours-long stand-off between police and a vandal who climbed a concrete tower of a prominent Melbourne bridge and spray-painted an infamous graffiti character has ended peacefully.
Jack Gibson-Burrell, 22, was arrested after voluntarily climbing down from the 140-metre tower where he had remained since the early hours of this morning.
A security alarm alerted authorities about 2:30am that someone had accessed the restricted area in Melbourne's Docklands and sprayed the Pam the Bird symbol at the top of the tower, along with offensive words.
Authorities said the man had forced entry into the eastern pylon of the bridge and climbed up through an existing system of ladders.
Police closed one southbound lane of the bridge that connects the Tullamarine Freeway and CityLink toll road to the West Gate Freeway during the incident, which affected thousands of vehicles during the morning peak commute.
Mr Gibson-Burrell descended from the tower at 11am, when he was met by police who took him into custody.
Acting Inspector Darren Wallis said the 22-year-old faced serious charges due to the cost of the operation, which spanned two police shifts and required specialist units.
"It's unacceptable; that's a taxpayer site and its going to cost taxpayer money to repair," Acting Inspector Wallis said.
He said police will increase patrols in the area in order to prevent copycat behaviour.
"It was a particularly precarious situation, quite dangerous to the accused person as well as to police," Acting Inspector Wallis said.
"It's a really dangerous environment for anyone to operate in, so we'd really be encouraging people not to even think about that."
The Yarraville man had earlier allegedly refused their directions to come down from the top of the pylon.
The cartoon bird has been appearing across Melbourne for several years, frequently painted on trains, the roofs of buildings, freeway signs and the CityLink "Cheese Stick", which neighbours the Bolte Bridge.
Loading...It has also appeared on the heritage-listed facade of the Flinders Street Station and the Uncle Toby's silos in West Footscray.
The social media account of the original Pam the Bird creator included footage taken from the top of the Bolte Bridge tower and of police cars on the bridge and wharf below.
But police have been unable to confirm whether the trespasser is the Pam the Bird creator.
The spokesperson said there was no threat to the public or road users during the incident.
A significant number of police resources were deployed in the area, including uniformed members and water-police units.
Street art world weighs in on Pam the Bird
People contacting 774 ABC Melbourne have expressed mixed opinions about Pam the Bird, with some supporting street art and others angry at the vandalism to property and the cost of today's police response.
Dean Sunshine is a documenter and curator of street art.
He said vandals should not be confused with street artists.
"Graffiti is done without permission; street art is usually curated by councils or by corporates or by people who just want to have a nice, big, pretty face or whatever on their building."
He said Melbourne's street art culture had become commercialised.
"And, for me, it's a little bit boring. We peaked in about 2012, 2014 in Melbourne and we were known as the biggest city of street art in the world.
"Now it's sort of gone into muralism, which is all just corporate, council and government-paid murals, which I don't think has the essence of that sub-culture."
Adrian Doyle has been involved in the Melbourne urban art scene for many years as both a street artist, tour guide and director of an art studio.
He said he has never been a huge fan of Pam the Bird as an artwork, but he said the locations where the image has appeared have made the character a part of Melbourne's suburban narrative.
"If you're just going into a train and just smashing the windows and breaking seats and setting things on fire, that's pure vandalism," he told the ABC's The World Today.
"But if you're making an art or making a statement that is making people think in a way that's outside of their everyday, then I definitely think it's important.
"Whether it's good art or bad art, that's to be debated. Why bother to climb the Bolte Bridge to do something so kitsch?"