Police Scotland Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 10 December 2024
Back to Helensburgh & Lomond Area Committee — 10 December 2024 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 Helensburgh and Lomond Area Committee November 2024 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. • Serious and organised crime • Crimes of theft and dishonesty (acquisitive crime) • Road safety and road crime • Violent crime • Public protection. Serious & Organised Crime Cowal, Bute & Helensburgh benefits from a dedicated specialist resource, the Serious and Organised Crime Team (SOCT). These specialist officers are supported by dedicated intelligence officers in taking a proactive approach to tackling serious and organised crime in our communities. Serious and organised crime can have profound and multifaceted impacts on communities. We are determined to protect the public from criminality by disrupting the sale of illegal substances, preventing them from being circulated on the streets of our communities. Information from the public is crucial to our success and by working alongside Crimestoppers we can ensure anonymity is maintained. Community information is key for us and may just provide us with the last piece of evidence required to apply to the courts for a warrant. We encourage our communities to share concerns and suspicions around drug dealing either by calling 101 or by reporting anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website and online form (https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give- information/forms/pre-form). 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 Acquisitive Crime Proactive policing, crime prevention and partnership working remain our focus to drive down acquisitive crime across Argyll & Bute. Shoplifting across Argyll remains high and prevalent. Through analytical review and local governance, we have identified several repeat offenders. We are taking a holistic approach liaising with the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal service (COPFS) seeking post- conviction orders from the Sheriffs which will reduce the opportunity for criminal behaviour by the most prolific offenders. We continue to highlight to COPFS the impact acquisitive crime is having on local businesses to ensure their concerns are being voiced. Fraudulent schemes and online threats continue to target our communities. Our preventions team are maximising opportunities to engage with community groups, clubs and volunteers across all ages to highlight how we can all keep safe. We are very active across our social media channels and continue to work with local newspapers to maximise our prevention messages. We are in regular contact with Trading Standards to ensure we have effective information sharing to provide the best support to our local communities. We are now in planning for the darker nights with festive action plans to ensure we increase our visibility across Argyll & Bute supporting our communities to reduce the fear of crime. Crime Type 5 Year Average PYTD YTD % Change from previous Year Common Theft 23 30 14 -53.3% Fraud 13.8 18 11 -38.9% Theft shoplifting 20.2 22 28 +27.3% (Figures from 1st April – 13 Nov 2024) Helensburgh Central and Helensburgh & Lomond South (PYTD – previous year to date) (YTD - Year to date) Road Safety & Road Crime Across Helensburgh and Lomond we very much understand public concerns in relation to road safety. We are committed to reducing road deaths by targeting the 5 main causes of fatal road accidents. These include speeding, being unfit to drive through drink or drugs, failure to wear seatbelts and driver distraction. Our officers will continue to pro-actively engage through enforcement and education. We very much welcome the new average speed cameras on the A82 at Luss and the safety cameras in Cardross and hope these cameras positively influence driver behaviour and decision making.
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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 We are working with partners including the Institute of Advanced Motorists to provide better understanding to road users who travel through our rural villages and towns to highlight the dangers and community impact that speeding and driving without due care and attention has. We delivered partnership events in Inveraray across the summer months with our specialist motorcycle officers and the Institute of Advanced Motorists who were able to engage with motorcyclists who regularly travel to Argyll during the summer months. Year to date across our area (including Cowal and Bute) 40 persons who have been reported with being unfit to drive through drink or drugs or have refused to supply a specimen when required to do so. These numbers remain on par with the 5 year average but are down on last years numbers. We delivered partnership events in Inveraray across the summer months with our specialist motorcycle officers and the Institute of Advanced Motorists who were able to engage with motorcyclists who regularly travel to Argyll during the summer months. Our community events have been a great success and well received in the local community. These events support our determination to reduce road deaths across Argyll Violent Crime Following a spate of violence and ASB within a Helensburgh housing estate 4 individuals have been given custodial sentences. A collective multi-agency response resulted in these individuals being identified and held to account for their violent behaviour. We are determined to reduce the impact violence has in our communities. We utilise analytical data and intelligence to monitor and police prolific offenders. This allows us to use our stop and search powers to proactively target those individuals who carry weapons on our streets. We continue to ensure those released back into our communities on specific bail are complying with conditions and are not reoffending. Across Helensburgh and Lomond we continue to support our night-time economy by providing a visible presence in our licensed premises. Weekend policing plans allow us to maximise our efforts across our towns as we look for opportunities to reduce early signs of anti-social behaviour which may escalate into violence. We often work with partners, including engaging with the Royal Navy Police and Ministry of Defence Police, to maximise our presence and share priority areas and taskings. Local officers and members of the management team are also part of the Helensburgh and Lomond Anti-Social Behaviour group and work closely with partners in identifying neighbour disputes that have the potential for escalation. Joint visits often take place between Housing Associations and Police and where appropriate, mediation is offered.
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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 Public Protection We continue to deliver a focused and determined response on gender-based violence. Our officers are resolute and committed to supporting those who put their trust in us to investigate these crimes. Our teams will utilise every investigative opportunity open to them to provide a positive outcome. We continue to strengthen partnerships to ensure that our most vulnerable individuals across Argyll are receiving crucial support. We continue to promote ‘Distress Briefing Intervention’ (DBI) allowing our officers to make direct referrals to the most appropriate partners who can provide a sustainable outcome. We are developing plans to implement a new arrest referral scheme where partner agencies within criminal justice social work can offer support to those in police custody. This support can lead to improved community safety by addressing the root cause of criminal behaviour and even lower the likelihood of reoffending. Local Policing News New Area Commander Chief Inspector (CI) Allan Dickson has moved from being the Area Commander for Helensburgh, Lomond, Cowal & Bute and returning to CID. The new Area Commander will be CI James McArthur who will be based at Dunoon Police Station. His depute, Inspector Bart Simonis who will be based in Helensburgh. Community Policing Our community police team have been maximising their presence across Helensburgh and Lomond. They continue to create and enhance new local links with partners from housing, RNP and Live Argyll. The officers are tasked daily with supporting the local community where it is needed most. The officers remained motivated and determined to provide a positive policing presence within the community. We are looking forward to welcoming some new probationers to Helensburgh in the coming weeks. These new officers will bolster our existing officer numbers providing more resilience and support to our communities. They come fresh faced and eager to make a difference and we look forward to their arrival. Operation Moonbeam The impact on our local communities from firework related ASB and disorder was very minimal and although we did receive a few calls in the lead up these very minor in nature. 1 individual was charged in Hermitage Park for being U18 and in possession of fireworks.
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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 Festive Safety Campaign As we move towards the winter months, our Winter Safety campaigns will kick in and we will be targeting seasonal crimes. Our plan will include prevention and proactive patrols supporting our local community and businesses through the festive season. This will be supplemented by the Roads Policing department with their drink and drug driving festive campaigns. 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 - https://consult.scotland.police.uk/strategy-insight- and-innovation/your-police-2023-2024/