John McLellan: Desecration of Edinburgh's Telfer Wall demands action
Readers angered at the desecration of the Telfer Wall by graffiti vandals are unlikely to be mollified by the statement by SNP transport and environment convener Lesley MacInnes that anti-social behaviour will be best tackled by the council's 'Our Edinburgh' advertising campaign.
While a marketing initiative might easily tick the “something must be done” box, it’s hardly the first thing on the minds of those who choose to spray giant red letters on a historic monument, or who are blighting virtually every street in the city with their scrawls.
Back in September my colleague Cllr Callum Laidlaw proposed setting up a graffiti task force to work with the police, yet with the support of Labour and Green councillors it was dismissed by Cllr McInnes who instead asked for a report to the communities committee.
That committee has met twice since the task force was rejected, and guess what? No graffiti report.