Events held during Graffiti Awareness Week - which ran from April 7-11 - left their mark across the capital.
Activities during this week of action ranged from site graffiti removal to school talks with a single purpose: to highlight the legacy left by graffiti and other forms of envirocrime on communities.
In the London Borough of Harrow, a dedicated Community Payback team worked to eradicate graffiti from the walls of a children's gymnasium centre.
Councillor Susan Hall, Environmental Services Portfolio Holder for Harrow explained the impact of graffiti on the local community, and the objective of the day's event in mitigating those effects.
"In Harrow, we are working hard to prevent 'broken glass syndrome': the phenomenon where people feel it is acceptable to engage in behavior such as littering or tagging as there is already environmental damage in the area. The effects of envirocrime extend beyond environmental degradation; perceptions of the area as a whole also suffer. By removing graffiti today, the Council is sending a strong message that Harrow belongs to everyone and behavior that undermines the sense of safety in the community - including envirocrime - will not be tolerated."
The positive impact of the event is evident. The young patrons of the gymnasium were able to witness firsthand the benefit of respecting shared spaces as the striking magenta walls of the building were restored - a lesson the council hopes will carry through to adulthood.
In Merton, a multi-agency effort is in place to combat graffiti. The council, in conjunction with Local Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT), has developed graffiti awareness teaching packs targeting 10 - 16 year olds to warn them that graffiti is not only an eyesore - but a criminal offence.
As a member of the South West Action Against Graffiti, Merton council also works in partnership with SNTs and local businesses to limit the sale of aerosol paint and jumbo markers to young people in a bid to minimise opportunities for young people to engage in graffiti and tagging activities.
In addition to encouraging communities to consider the impact of graffiti, events held during Graffiti Awareness Week also made another significant contribution to the Capital Clean-Up campaign. By engaging a range of community partners including local councils, the Metropolitan Police and SNTs, Community Payback and other stakeholders, the campaign is increasing the sense of pride and local ownership in communities across London.