Middle-Class Graffiti Gangs Costing Capital Thousands, Say Police

Gangs of middle-class children are being blamed by police for disfiguring hundreds of buildings and signs across the Scottish capital with graffiti. Police in Edinburgh said the respectable backgrounds of many of the worst culprits was making it difficult to trace and prosecute them.

One of the two main gangs operating in the city is based in Morningside and Merchiston and often uses a signature “tag” of DKM. The other, known as OE, mainly operates in Niddrie and the city centre.

Despite recently charging two teenagers with 180 graffiti- related offences between them, after they were identified with particular signature tags, police said their efforts to tackle the growing problem were still being frustrated.

Acting Sergeant Norman Towler, based at Howdenhall station, who has led a special team aimed at tackling the gangs, said: “These youngsters are mainly from well-to-do families, which makes it a bit harder to trace them, because they aren’t already known to us for other offences.

“There seem to be two main gangs who constantly try to out-do each other, and while some of it is quite artistic, it’s being used in the wrong way and actually causes a lot of hurt and annoyance to the public. It costs a fair bit of money to clean these things up, I don’t know if they realise that. Part of the problem is they seem to think they are doing nothing wrong.”

As well as marking their territory with spray-paint tags, the two rival gangs are also boasting of their exploits on internet sites.

While police do not believe there is any sinister side to their rivalry, they are determined to stop them. Sgt Towler said the gangs were targeting Morningside and Merchiston.

Napier University’s Craighouse Campus, in Morningside, recently had a massive black scrawl plastered across its silver reflective entrance sign, while buildings, parking-ticket machines and post boxes have also been tagged.

Van drivers have even complained of returning to their vehicles to find drawings and logos sprayed across the side. Buses and trains have also been targeted while they have been parked in their depots.

The work of OE and DKM can both be seen around the city centre, with Niddrie Mains Road badly hit by the OE gang. OE take their name from Own Edinburgh, derived from a computer game in which the objective is to decorate urban settings with as much graffiti as possible.

The Conservatives’ community safety spokesman, Jason Rust, said: “It’s a real menace as well as costly and inconvenient to business and residents.”

The city’s council spends thousands of pounds every year cleaning up graffiti. A spokeswoman said it cost around £60 to clean a square metre.