Agenda item

Chief Superintendent Clark gave an overview of service matters and an update on recent appointments.  She advised that Chief Inspector Andy Mclean had retired and introduced Chief Inspector Stuart Reid who had been appointed from within the Division.  The Division was now fully staffed with the appointment of Greg Banks as Superintendent for Service Delivery.  The Chief Superintendent also advised that the Division was planning for Brexit and was hoping to brief the four local authorities on progress in March.

4.2       Chief Inspector Reid then presented Police Scotland’s Scrutiny Report for the period 1 October 2018 to 31 December 2018, copies of which had been circulated with the Agenda. 

4.3       Domestic Abuse – During the period there had been an 8.7% reduction from last year in domestic abuse incidents which positively reflected the work being carried out by Police and partner agencies in the Scottish Borders. Chief Inspector Reid advised that every domestic abuse incident was thoroughly scrutinised and reviewed.  Significant change to legislation was expected to increase recorded incidents.  In response to a question, Superintendent Reid advised that officers would receive training to ensure they understood the new legislation relating to psychological offences. Mr Jones added that the Safer Communities Team would support this training.

4.4       Road Safety - There had been an increase in the number of people killed and seriously injured, 40% of which involved motorcyclists visiting the Scottish Borders.  During the Festive period, over 40 road checks had been carried out with 22 road traffic offences detected. The addition of two mobile camera units and a further two ‘Pop-up Bobs’ were effective tools against speeding.   Drivewise would continue and now included a motorcycle programme which was hoped would positively impact figures going forward  

4.5       Violent Crime – There had been a 25% reduction in Serious Assault over the period. The 86.7% robbery detection rate was in line with the national detection rate. 

4.6       Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) – There had been a slight fall in all antisocial behaviour incidents with 385 incidents compared to 394 the previous year.  Decreasing incidents remained a priority and the Community Action Team (CAT) continued to tackle incidents through engagement, patrolling and enforcement.  

4.7       Drugs and Alcohol Misuse – There had been a 30.2% increase in the detections for drug related offences and enforcement with the CAT taking a leading role.  Residents were encouraged to engage with Crimestoppers to report any activity.  

4.8       Protecting People (Missing Persons) – There had been a 21.4% increase in missing person incidents.  The majority of those reported had a vulnerability, with mental health related issues being most prevalent. Chief Inspector Reid advised that during the seven month period they had received 135 reports of missing persons from the Borders General Hospital (BGH).  In response to a question, Mr Reid advised that Superintendent Dalgleish was liaising with NHS colleagues to address the issue.  Mr Dickson advised that he would consider the Border General Hospital’s search protocol and discuss with Chief Inspector Reid.  In response to a question regarding the use of social media to assist with missing persons, Chief Superintendent Clark advised that social media was used when appropriate but privacy issues had to be managed.

4.9       Acquisitive crime – Housebreaking - There was a 10.6% decrease over the period in housebreaking and theft compared with the same period last year.  The detection rate for Acquisitive Crime was 35% and for housebreaking was 20.6%,  which positively reflected work around increased security to deter criminals including a structured patrol matrix during the hours of darkness and increased foot patrols during the festive period.  In response to a question, Chief Inspector Reid advised that house breaking was defined as dwelling or non-dwelling (business premises), others were sheds, lock ups etc.

            DECISION

            NOTED the report.