Agenda item

Chief Superintendent McKenzie began his report by advising that he welcomed his new role as area commander and working with the Board.  His focus would be on violent crime, antisocial behaviour, protection of the most vulnerable and improving the quality of life for people within the Scottish Borders.  He explained that there would be a number of challenges ahead, particularly in relation to missing persons and issues surrounding the misuse of alcohol, both of which would involve partnership working as these were not just policing issues.   He welcomed the Board’s scrutiny function and going forward suggested providing more localised information to assist the Board.  He advised that he was committed to the Community Action Team (CAT) and appreciated the provision of this valuable resource.  With regard to deployment of the second CAT he explained that this was an additionality and therefore required the recruitment of further officers.  The recruitment process could take three to six months.  However, he anticipated the appointment of three officers by September, with the full complement of six by the end of 2019.   He advised that Kenny McDonald had been appointed as the new Assistant Chief Constable for this area and would be engaging with Members in the next few weeks.

4.2         Chief Superintendent McKenzie went on to advise that he anticipated discussions with local authorities regarding a new Police Scotland contact assessment model, which was being piloted in Lanarkshire.  Following evaluation, there was an indication that the model might be introduced within J Division by early January.  He would bring back further detail following the pilot evaluation. He concluded his report by advising that the year would be challenging with a reduction of £200m from the policing budget nationally.  However, Police Scotland would continue to provide a quality service to the Scottish Borders and J Division. 

4.3         Chief Inspector Stuart Reid then presented Police Scotland’s Scrutiny Report for the period 1 January 2019 to 31 March 2019, copies of which had been circulated with the Agenda. 

4.4         Domestic Abuse – During the period there had been a 7.1% reduction from last year in domestic abuse incidents.  This reduction might reflect positively the work being carried out by Police and partner agencies.  However, the figure might also reflect that domestic violence was often under reported.   Chief Inspector Reid highlighted the work to tackle perpetrators and the support of victims through MARAC and MATAC which had contributed to the decrease.  In terms of sexual crime incidents, Chief Inspector Reid advised that numbers had reduced to 188 from 201 the previous year.     Mr Coyle, Scottish Borders Housing Network (SBCN) advised that they were working on early intervention in terms of domestic abuse and would discuss further with partners following the meeting.

4.5         Road Safety - There had been an increase in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads by 33% and 18% respectively.  Despite targeted awareness in the motorcycle community, six of the deaths were motorcyclists, the circumstances attributed to rider or error/speed.  Mobile camera units continued to be deployed to hotspot areas, the aim of which was to provide increased road policing throughout the Scottish Borders to influence driver behaviour and reduce road casualties.  It was noted that 40 people had been reported for dangerous driving, 303 detected for speeding and 273 for insurance during the reporting period.

4.6         Violent Crime – There had been an increase of 37% in recorded crimes of violence which equated to 29 more crimes compared to the previous year.  The detection rate had increased 3% to 78% from last year.  Serious assaults had also increased 15% - 61 incidents compared to 53 last year with a detection rate of 80%.  There were 20 reported crimes of robbery compared to nine last year with a detection rate of 60%.  There was a 100% reduction in the number of murders with none reported compared to three the previous year.    Regarding licensed premises, Chief Inspector Reid advised that 159 licensed premises’ visits had been carried out and he highlighted the Rape Crisis Scotland campaign which allowed any customer feeling threatened after meeting someone to get help by approaching the bar and ‘Asking to speak to Angela”.

4.7       Antisocial Behaviour (ASB) – There had been a slight increase in the number of ASB incidents with 5,740 being reported compared to 5,682 the previous year.  Following a successful trial, re-deployable CCTV cameras were being introduced to assist with tackling ASB and crime. Youth Community Officers’ focus this quarter was on issues arising during holidays.

4.8       Drugs and Alcohol Misuse – A proactive and intelligence led approach led by the CAT had seen a 45.8% rise in detections for drug related offences, a significant increase.  With regard to alcohol misuse, 159 licensed premises checks had been conducted.  Police Scotland were also collaborating with the Council regarding the possible implementation of alcohol byelaws in the Scottish Borders.  

4.9       Protecting People – There had been an increase of 21.5% in missing person incidents to 707 from 582 the previous year.  The increase highlighted the impact these resource intensive incidents placed upon police. 

4.10     Acquisitive crime – Housebreaking had increased slightly to 256 reports compared to 236 last year with a detection rate of 21.9%.   

            4.11     Prevention and Activity Highlights

            Chief Inspector Reid then went on to discuss the operations and activities from 1 January to 31 March 2019, outlining the Drivewise programme for older drivers and the work of the CAT.  In conclusion, the report highlighted that tackling violent crime would be a priority moving forward.  To tackle this, the division had introduced Operation Parejos, which had a focus on crimes in communities.

4.12     In response to questions, it was advised that detection rates were higher in the Scottish Borders, compared to other areas of Scotland.  With regard to CCTV, this was an important investigatory tool and Police Scotland welcomed any opportunities to increase coverage; CCTV also increased public confidence.   With regard to missing persons, Chief Inspector Reid advised that through partnership working with NHS Borders there had been an improvement and he thanked the NHS for their cooperation.  There was then a discussion on police recruitment, shift patterns, and areas covered, officers explained that the recruitment of Special Constables was ongoing, although more challenging in the Scottish Borders; CAT officers worked shift patterns including weekends and appropriate officers were deployed each day to target risks.  Mrs Simpson representing the Voluntary Sector advised of the increase in scamming incidents and Chief Inspector Reid would discuss with her further out with the meeting. 

            DECISION

            NOTED the report.