Partner Updates
Argyll and Bute Council · 4 November 2025
Back to Bute and Cowal Area Community Planning Group — 4 November 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Please note that all data included in this report are management information and not official statistics. All data are sourced from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as of date of publication. Unless stated otherwise numerical comparisons are against the previous year to date and the previous five-year average for the same data period specified. OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Argyll & West Dunbartonshire Division Cowal & Bute Area Community Planning Group November 2025 The priorities for your area are decided by data from our strategic assessment which details threats and risks, and also from feedback from local authorities, partners, and residents in the Local Policing Survey. The current priorities are: • Serious and organised crime • Crimes of theft and dishonesty (acquisitive crime) • Road safety and road crime • ASB & Violent crime • Public protection. Acquisitive Crime Acquisitive crime remains a local priority especially as we move towards the winter months where community members can feel more vulnerable during the darker evenings. Our preventions team continue to look for ways to raise the importance of crime prevention within in the community. Small steps and a review of personal routines can help reduce the likelihood of becoming the victim of opportunistic crime. Our pro-active work to protect the public from fraud continues. We are delivering inputs to groups and utilising our social media presence to maximum effect. Our relationship with our colleagues in Trading Standards is strong and we are installing call-blockers to landlines when appropriate which is a device to add a level of protection against the automated type of fraudulent call. Between 01/07/2025 and the week commencing 09/10/2025 locally we have recorded 10 Shopliftings across out community which is down on previous months. We have had no reports of domestic housebreakings COWAL, BUTE & HELENSBURGH PRIORITIES 2023-2026
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OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Please note that all data included in this report are management information and not official statistics. All data are sourced from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as of date of publication. Unless stated otherwise numerical comparisons are against the previous year to date and the previous five-year average for the same data period specified. OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Digital evidence sharing capability, which revolutionises the way we collect and process digital evidence throughout the criminal justice system, is now live in Argyll. Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) is a programme designed to deliver an end to end service which will collect, manage and share digital evidence throughout the criminal justice process. DESC will allow members of the public/businesses to quickly and easily submit digital evidence online (via portal). Road Safety Overall, there is a reduction in the number of casualties involved in road traffic collisions within Argyll and Bute compared to last year. Speeding and driving complaints remain prevalent within the area. We continue to support community concerns in this area through direct action, prevention and intervention work. Proactive speed checks have been carried out across the area and Between 01/07/2025 and the week commencing 09/10/2025, we have detected 33 speeding offences across out local communities. These drivers have been issued with fines or reported to the COPFs. During the same period 7 divers have been charged with dangerous driving and a further 23 drivers charged with driving without due care or attention. We have also detected 10 drivers who were unfit to drive through drink or drugs and have been reported to the COPFs. During this period, we have received a total of 57 reports of road accidents and from that number 19 were assessed as immediate response calls. ASB/Violence All operational officers are briefed daily prior to deployment to furnish them with the intelligence and information required to be able to identify those involved in violence and ASB. It is very difficult to prevent sporadic acts of violence particularly indoors in private dwellings. We continue to engage with housing partners to identify problematic neighbour complaints to assess and target ASB which if left to fester may escalate to violence. We have robust policing plans in place to monitor those individuals released with specific bail conditions. The Preventions Team are in daily contact with the ASB and Housing Teams to ensure we maximise our response through a partnership approach.
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OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Please note that all data included in this report are management information and not official statistics. All data are sourced from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as of date of publication. Unless stated otherwise numerical comparisons are against the previous year to date and the previous five-year average for the same data period specified. OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Our officers will make full use of their stop search powers when it is justified and proportionate to do so. Between the dates reported we have charged 3 persons who have been found to be in possession of an offensive weapon within the community. We have 96 recorded minor assaults and 4 recorded serious assaults. We have proactively stopped 41 individuals who were found to be in possession of drugs, controlled under the misuse of drugs act and 1 individual was charged with being concerned in the supply of drugs. Public Protection We continue to support individuals through a victim centred approach. Our officers receive regular training and guidance to ensure that we are supporting those affected with a professionalism and empathy. Public protection is often complex. Policing on its own is not the solution. By working in partnership, taking a multi-agency approach, increasing public confidence and raising public awareness, we are better placed to identify threat, manage risk and prevent harm A scheme launched ten years ago by Police Scotland has seen over 19,500 disclosures made to people about their partner's abusive past. The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) was launched on 1 October 2015 following a successful trial in Ayrshire and Aberdeen city, and since then has received over 35,500 requests to ask about the background of a partner. DSDAS is an important preventative tool in tackling domestic abuse. Of the 35,847 requests received, 19,867 disclosures (55 per cent) have been made to tell individuals their partner has a violent or abusive past. Before the DSDAS scheme, there was no formal way of an individual finding out if their partner had a previous history of abusive behaviour. And similarly, there was no mechanism for police to proactively tell individuals if their partner posed a risk to them. The introduction of DSDAS has made significant changes and improvements to the violence against women landscape. It gives people the right to ask and police the right to tell individuals at risk of domestic abuse about the history of their partner. They can then make an informed decision about their relationship. The DSDAS form is available on our website: https://www.scotland.police.uk/secureforms/disclosure/
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OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Please note that all data included in this report are management information and not official statistics. All data are sourced from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as of date of publication. Unless stated otherwise numerical comparisons are against the previous year to date and the previous five-year average for the same data period specified. OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Local News We are now planning for our seasonal winter safety campaigns which will involve high visibility patrols within the community to deter ASB and seasonal acquisitive crime. We will be providing various firework safety related inputs in conjunction with our partners at the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. We continue to look at community engagement opportunities, crime prevention, and operational effectiveness. We are available to deliver fraud and scam awareness talks, empowering residents, while crime prevention surveys have identified key concerns for targeted interventions. The Golf Partnership Initiative, in collaboration with Cowal Golf Club, has seen remarkable growth, with junior memberships increasing from 20 to 100. Additionally, 20 sets of golf clubs have been provided to new members through the Golf Club Hire Scheme, ensuring financial barriers do not hinder participation. The Dunoon Police 5s Football Tournament returned this year, spanning two days of competition. Schools from across Cowal participated in athletics and football on the Friday, while the adults’ tournament on Sunday marked its first return since COVID-19, attracting over 20 teams, including participants from as far as Glasgow. Our youth engagement officer (YEO) continues her exceptional youth engagement work, including the successful launch of Social 22, a youth club for P7 and above, and the establishment of girls and boys running clubs. She also delivers vital inputs to schools on the dangers of drugs, knives, and other relevant issues. Looking ahead, planning is underway to organise and host a multi-agency open day in one of the rural villages, with the time and date to be confirmed. Furthermore, the Road Safety Hubs are set to return this year, with the first of four inputs focusing on winter driving and night-time driving scheduled for November and December. These achievements and initiatives highlight our commitment to enhancing public safety, reducing crime, and fostering positive community relationships *The crime data referred to above is recorded between 1st July and 9th October 2025
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OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Please note that all data included in this report are management information and not official statistics. All data are sourced from Police Scotland internal systems and are correct as of date of publication. Unless stated otherwise numerical comparisons are against the previous year to date and the previous five-year average for the same data period specified. OFFICIAL: POLICE AND PARTNERS Useful Links/Contacts • Argyll and Bute Communtiy Directory - https://abcd.scot/ including warm spaces information • Crimestoppers – Crimestoppers in Scotland | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org) 0800 555 111 • Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime – www.scottishparc.co.uk • Women’s Aid - Home - Women's Aid (womensaid.org.uk) • Citizens Advice – 0808 164 6000 • Argyll and Bute Council Trading Standards – 01546 605 519 • Argyll and Bute Council – https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/my-council/how-contact-us • Transport Scotland – road related incidents and road closures - https://www.traffic.gov.scot/traffic-information/incidents • Scottish Water - https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Contact-Us 0800 0778 778 • NHS24 (including mental health support) – 111 or https://www.nhsinform.scot/ Follow us on Social Media and help share loacl appeals and education messages • Facebook - Police Scotland Argyll and West Dunbartonshire • X (formerly Twitter) – PSOSArgyllBute and PSOS ArgWestDunb Sign up to Neighbourhood Watch to receive local alerts and bulletins for your community area - https://neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk/#0 Have your say on your local policing priorities - Your Police 2024-2025 - Police Scotland - Citizen Space