GRAFFITI everywhere

Graffiti out and about in daily life

How many times have you entered a lavatory and found abusive, rude or disgusting toilet graffiti scrawled on the walls or door? Frequently personal derogatory messages are included giving the telephone number or name of a person who supposedly sells sex for money or worse. These are essentially hate crimes and are an ongoing nuisance, embarassment to those targeted and an unwanted cost to the proprietor of the building. The essential problem is that people writing this graffiti do not care - their intentions are malicious in the first place. Short of installing cameras in public toilets there is little that can be done.

Graffiti always has a knock on effect that damages wider society. Some public toilets are closed out of season or permanently closed thus depriving the general public. Why should councils and the tax payer constantly pay through the nose for vandalism and stupidity? Vandals ill conceived actions make local tax bills higher for everyone including their own families.

Restaurant owners may restrict use of their toilets to paying guests only. Toilets at small railway stations disappeared a long time ago much to the detriment of all passengers. Graffiti also affects tourism and potentially jobs and the wealth of a town or area.... Read more about Graffiti and tourism.

The inhabitants of a neighbourhood marred by graffiti feel less safe than in one where there is no graffiti. The image of such a neighbourhood is of lawlessness and vandalism.

We need to educate our children about cause and effect. So many simply do not think about the consequence of their actions. Hopefully they will grow up to instruct their children in caring for their environment and respecting other people's property. British consumer law attempts to keep spray aerosol paint out of the hands of young people who may not understand all the implications of graffiti but can only hope that adult offenders are caught whilst they are in the act.

Personal graffiti directed at the vulnerable - the disabled

There are people today who have lost their moral code. Graffiti artists who mock the vulnerable are an example.

Political, religious or racist Graffiti

Some of the worst kinds of graffiti is political, religious or racial - graffiti that is carried out by adults spreading their hate.

These people usually target minority groups who they are opposed to for whatever reason. Common examples of this are anti-semitic graffiti or anti muslim slogans, homophobic, nationalistic or anti whatever they dislike at the time. Town walls are disfigured in their political or hate campaign, gravestones desecrated and people terrorised. This type of graffiti tells of of hate spreading through areas and should be taken seriously because it has in the past been a precursor to real conflict. Read the writing is on the wall.

And again, someone else has to foot the clean-up bill.

• A question of Graffiti discussion topics - click to open and print