I was amazed, no, that is not strong enough. I was absolutely astonished to read in the news columns of this newspaper that Brighton and Hove Council has a team of specialists who form a graffiti squad.

Their job, as the name suggests, is to clean up after sick and mindless individuals have finished vandalising other people's property with their spray paint cans.

But it seems that this graffiti squad is some sort of secret society that rarely ventures out into the streets.

While I am genuinely delighted that this mysterious group was prepared to come out of hiding to help the residents and traders of Brighton's North Laine area after it had been attacked by graffiti thugs a few days ago I am disappointed the squad appears to have gone back into hiding.

It is a bit like Batman and friends dashing out to fight the forces of evil in the perpetual darkness of Gotham City. They do their good work and then disappear.

Graffiti in many public areas of the town is dreadful. We all know that. Much of it has been defacing walls, not just over a weekend or for a few days but for months and even years.

If this secret squad needs any help in finding such sites, it only has to ask. I will take its shadowy membership on a discreet little tour - in the privacy of the night, of course.

There is a point to all this. I mention it because of a debate that seems to be gathering pace about whether older people should feel safe walking about at night in central Brighton.

Many stay indoors in the evenings because they are afraid of the potential for violence. Whether there really is violence on every street or not is beside the point. The point is the fear. And if there is one factor that can generate a genuine feeling of menace in a dark street, it is graffiti splattered walls.

Graffiti is sinister and aggressive. Graffiti drains the soul from a community, brutalises the spirit. Graffiti is an affront to civilised living.

Sadly, there is no stomach for any aspect of zero tolerance policing in Sussex and it is unlikely that the magistrates would give the police much support if they really cracked down on the graffiti pests. I do not expect the situation to improve.

I am aware of the financial dilemma faced by the council and its need to make cuts if it is to remain solvent. But for all of us, as I have said before, life is about priorities.

It is not enough for the police to make the streets of this popular tourist town safe.They also have to be seen to be safe.

The cost of getting rid of graffiti is comparatively small. The environmental benefit is enormous.

If we really care about our quality of life, as we always boast, this is the moment to put the graffiti squad to work full time.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.