Madrid police use social media tracking and maps to combat graffiti

The Municipal Police in Madrid have identified 1,466 people involved in illegal graffiti through the Urban Heritage Protection Section.

This specialized unit was established three years ago to reduce vandalism and protect the city's historic sites. Officers use a process of documenting and photographing graffiti to create risk maps and organized action plans for public spaces. Police officers work with graphology services to investigate the authorship of markings, particularly those affecting protected heritage.

The unit coordinates with the Cleaning and Green Areas department and property managers to speed up repairs and identify perpetrators. Some targeted locations include the Plaza de la Villa, the Mauthausen memorial, and the Museo de América. The local government increased fines in 2019 to deter vandalism. Current penalties range from 600 euros for street furniture to 3,000 euros for iconic buildings.

The City Council of Madrid also launched an urgent cleaning service in 2022 to respond to neighbor reports and monitor frequent graffiti zones. The city allows offenders to settle debts by removing graffiti. One individual avoided an 8,000 euro fine by completing 40 hours of community work and paying a 2,500 euro fine. Since the section opened, police have opened 802 files and sent 190 reports to courts and 17 to the Environmental Prosecutor's Office.