Police Scotland Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 9 December 2025
Back to Helensburgh & Lomond Area Committee — 9 December 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
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 Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee December 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. During the reporting period we seen a rise in common thefts from farms and other agricultural places. We continue to look for innovative ways to highlight crime prevention opportunities within this sector. A farm watch started in Helensburgh and Lomond area connecting many of the local farmers who are now able to interact in the same way as a neighbourhood watch scheme. Our preventions team have been visiting our agricultural sites offering advice about securing equipment and handing out specialist DNA marking kits. 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. COWAL, BUTE & HELENSBURGH PRIORITIES 2023-2026
Page 2
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 DESC will allow members of the public/businesses to quickly and easily submit digital evidence online (via portal). Road Safety Our traffic detections continue to increase which is testament to the proactive work by our specialist officers and our local policing teams. We continue to target those drivers putting people’s safety at risk as a result of their poor driving standards, decision making or condition of the vehicles being driven on the roads. The circumstances of any fatal road crash are investigated thoroughly by national specialist crash investigation teams. The expertise and understanding of road traffic legislation is shared locally to our local officers to ensure we are upskilling our own officers patrolling our communities. We continue to develop our Road Safety Partnership meetings, which involves stakeholders from the Local Authority, Roads, Transport Scotland and others. We now review all fatal crash scenes to ensure that any contributory factors are assessed and reviewed to reduce the risk of further accidents at the same location. During this reporting period we commenced our Fatal 5 - Young Drivers Campaign. The feedback received from pupils has been very encouraging. We have engaged senior pupils in Rothesay, Dunoon, Helensburgh, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead, Oban, Tobermory & Tarbert. The young driver presentations to S6 pupils consists of a case study involving 4 newly qualified drivers who were racing on a rural road resulting in a double fatality acc. These sessions create open discussions which the generation of young persons who have just reached driving age. These sessions allow us to positively influence decision making and to focus awareness on the fatal 5 campaign which include, driving whilst unfit to do so, speeding, not wearing seat belts and distraction. 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. We are committed to supporting our nighttime economy. Since 1st April our local policing teams have recorded over 200 visits to licenced premises. Our Divisional Licensing Team provides guidance and support to Local Policing in relation to the sale and supply of alcohol within our communities, ensuring licensed premises operate in accordance with liquor licensing legislation and promote responsible trading aligned with the Licensing Objectives. We have a range of options to assist us with any identified issues. These options form a
Page 3
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 staged but flexible response, from simply engaging with and advising the staff at licensed premises at the lower end of the scale, to grading premises as being ‘Problematic’ and requesting a review of a premise licence by the Licensing Board in relation to more serious matters. We have been engaging with Crimestoppers Scotland to see how we can promote their vital role within our rural communities. It is vital that we continue to encourage and empower our communities to speak up about crime within their villages and towns. Crimestoppers is a unique anonymous service and more than ever our communities need Crimestoppers unique guarantee of anonymity to report concerns. Serious and Organised crime often harms the most vulnerable in our communities, from drug dealing to exploitation via County Lines. It is vital that our we encourage people to report anonymously and help them on what to do; from spotting the key signs of crimes to being an active bystander 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.
Page 4
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 The DSDAS form is available on our website: https://www.scotland.police.uk/secureforms/disclosure/ 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 working with our partnerships team to ensure that we maximise our media opportunities to highlight various crime prevention ideas to benefit our communities which will reduce the impact of acquisitive crime. Our officers are always willing to advise on crime prevention matters and we would encourage those of you who feel they could benefit from advice to get in touch. 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