Somehow I've found myself on the front line in the fight against graffiti. And believe me, it's not a very comfortable place for a youth worker to be.
When I was asked to join our local anti-graffiti action group, I didn't think too much of it. After all, most of the meetings I attend are about tackling much weightier issues.
But after attending just a few meetings of the action group it's becoming clear this is a much bigger issue than I first thought. Graffiti has the power to really divide opinion. Is it art or is it crime? Should we wipe it out or try to work with it? It seems young and old have their own, very different, views.
If you ask young people what they think about graffiti many will tell you that it can't be stopped. And for many young people, as well as some adults, it's considered something of an art form, something that brightens up an otherwise grey world, something that should even be supported by legal sites.
But the popular view of graffiti is quite different. According to a recent survey, one in three people says graffiti and vandalism are problems in their area. For many people, graffiti is an ugly urban scrawl that needs to be rubbed out. Within 24 hours if possible.
The Government's Antisocial Behaviour Unit certainly couldn't be clearer about the impact of graffiti. It links graffiti to neighbourhoods becoming more and more run down, with a corresponding increase in crime and the fear of crime.
All this leaves me in two minds. I don't believe graffiti art is intrinsically bad. We've got some great examples of it splashed over some of our youth centres and I would challenge anyone to say it isn't creative or that it hasn't improved the visual environment.
But this sort of graffiti art feels a world away from the practice of scribbling one word a thousand times across property.
So is it art or crime? Should we work with it or try to wipe it out?
It's a question well worth asking. Answers on a post box please.
Michael Bracey is principal youth officer for Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, michael.bracey@haynet.com
