Is it the weather?

One of the most frequently hit sites around here has now been without graffiti for over three weeks straight - that must be a new record.

But why is this so?

It could be because the Police have started to actively patrol that area more frequently, and they're stopping and talking to people - a great way to get the message across that an eye is being kept on the place.

It could also be a result of the Council diligently removing the graffiti not long after it goes up - the vandals might simply be over tagging this particular spot, knowing that their tags will have a short life - and where is the fun in that?

The third reason that I can think of is the weather.  In the spot that I am thinking of, teenagers normally gather every Saturday night, get on the booze and then proceed to wreak havoc. However, we've had awful weather every Saturday night for the past month - rain, cold and driving wind.  Those are not the sort of conditions that are conducive to an outdoor party and a bit of vandalism.  The rain has kept them indoors, presumably glued to their Playstations.

As far as I know, no one has ever really looked at whether there is a linkage between certain types of vandalism and the weather.  Graffiti that we see is generally an outdoors pursuit - although there is plenty of it inside abandoned buildings, tunnels and the like.  Who wants to trudge through rain and driving wind at night to drop a few tags on a wall?

I'll be interested to see whether graffiti blossoms once again in this particular spot once spring arrives.