The Word on Ealing's Streets - It's Payback Time

Graffiti proves a waste of young offenders’ time

Young offenders were made to repaint a 200m-long, graffiti-covered fence in Perivale at the beginning of the year as a punishment for their own graffiti and criminal damage crimes.

The five-hour job was all part of the borough's new pilot Graffiti Payback Scheme to get young offenders to make amends and understand the consequences of their actions.

Councillor Sue Emment, cabinet member for safer communities, said “Graffiti is unsightly, unwelcoming and brings down the general atmosphere of an area at a huge cost to the local community.

“We are determined to crack down on anyone who thinks the borough is a free canvas for their illegal scrawl, and this new scheme offers a constructive way for offenders to make amends and give something back to the local community.

“In fact, in their feedback, most of the young people said they were concerned that their hard work and the freshly-painted fence would be ruined by graffiti again, so the message certainly got through to them.”

Under the new Graffiti Payback Scheme, groups of young offenders will visit different graffiti hotspots in the borough every fortnight. The work is undertaken under court order and is unpaid.

Kari Pilkington, reparation coordinator, Ealing Youth Offending Service, said: “The young people did a great job and painted four times as much as we were expecting.

“They all turned up on time and they all went home with a different attitude from when they arrived. They now look at graffiti and the damage it does to the community in a whole new light.

“As a result, we believe this new scheme will help to reduce re-offending rates and change their futures.”

February 9, 2007