Edinburgh sees 'explosion' in graffiti during lockdown as reported incidents more than double

Lockdown saw an “explosion” in graffiti across the Capital, new figures reveal.
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Statistics released under freedom of information show incidents of graffiti reported to the council jumped from 433 in 2018/19 to 826 in 2019/20 and 1,260 in 2020/21.

And the problem does not seem to be going away, with 610 cases reported so far this year.

Graffiti incidents reported to the council more than doubled during lockdownGraffiti incidents reported to the council more than doubled during lockdown
Graffiti incidents reported to the council more than doubled during lockdown
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Now Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs, who obtained the figures, is calling for action to discourage graffiti and clean up the city.

He said: “I've been surprised over the past year at how many people have contacted me about graffiti compared to previous years.

“I don’t know if people have just been frustrated and bored during lockdown so they’re buying spray paint and going out and finding anything they can spray on.”

He said he had heard from several businesses about their anger over shutters being defaced.

Sights like this are becoming all too familiar to Edinburgh residents.Sights like this are becoming all too familiar to Edinburgh residents.
Sights like this are becoming all too familiar to Edinburgh residents.
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Dreadnought pub staff make lighthearted joke out of offensive graffiti
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“One business in Leith Walk contacted me – they had just bought a new pair of shutters and were very happy with how the frontage of their shop looked and then one evening it just got graffitied. Things like that really upset people and make the city a bit sad-looking.

“We should be doing something about cleaning it up, but also discouraging people from doing it in the first place.”

Police had lower figures than the council for graffiti and suggested the number of cases had actually declined, but they pointed out graffiti was recorded under vandalism and not measured as a separate category.

Mr Briggs said the council figures were a “more realistic” reflection of the situation.

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And he said it was not just an Edinburgh problem. “Cities around the world seem to be experiencing the same thing. In Rome they are looking at changing legislation about on-the-spot fines because even some of Rome’s ancient buildings are being spray painted.

"Given the internet, it's very difficult to control people accessing spray paint. So it probably is about how you discourage people and educate them.

“I think increasing on-the-spot fines is one of the things we should be looking at to try and put people off doing this.”

In a letter to the MSP, police said graffiti could take many forms. “We review reported incidents to assess if these are targeted towards specific individuals or sites or contain any aggravated offences, such as hate crimes for example, and ensure that suitable support is provided to the victims.”

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And they said to better address issues with graffiti in general, their Prevention, Intervention and Partnerships team had recently offered to assist the council with its proposed new graffiti strategy, to help in collating data and to act as a single point of contact to improve the flow of information between Police Scotland and the council.

“Furthermore, the issue of graffiti is always considered in any architectural liaison or crime prevention advice that the PIP provide, due to its impact on both the wider community, as well as the owners and residents of affected properties.

“The PIP team are always happy to speak to members of the community and visit sites as required to provide practical advice to tackling and preventing graffiti.”

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