Agenda item

Update report by Police Inspector detailing ongoing work and initiatives in the Teviot and Liddesdale area. (To follow).

The Chairman welcomed Chief Superintendent Ivor Marshall, Divisional Commander J Division.  Chief Superintendent Marshall was in attendance to give a briefing on Police Scotland’s priorities.  Chief Superintendent Marshall began by advising that he had been employed by the Police for 27 years, in a range of roles.  He had been Divisional Commander for Lothian and the Scottish Borders for six months.   He explained that their main priorities were:  violence, sexual crime, roads policing, house break-ins, and anti-social behaviour.   He highlighted that as his officers, lived and worked in the Scottish Borders they had a real ownership and pride in the area.  However, he emphasised that dealing with crime was only 20% of their role; the Police were available 24 hours a day and 80% of their time was dealing with social care issues.

Chief Superintendent Marshall then invited questions.  In response to a question regarding the use of CCTV, he advised that it was an effective tool in terms of recording incidents and gathering evidence.   However, it needed to be proactively monitored which was both labour and cost intensive.  For any crime investigated, CCTV was examined.   With regard to a question on the importance of local knowledge and local resources, he agreed that community intelligence combined with partnership working was essential.   He reiterated that 80% of Police Scotland’s duties involved mental health or societal issues.  He gave an example of foodbanks, explaining that if people in need were not able to access this facility then they could get into difficulty.  Local knowledge and collective working with partners allowed conversations and understanding of these issues and the needs of communities.  He went on to refer to recent press coverage regarding a review of police stations, which had included Hawick Police Station.    He stressed the importance of Hawick Police Station; it had been included in the review as part of an assessment of local estates and consideration of the possibility of joint working with partners in the facility.  With regard to Galashiels Police Station, being the Police Headquarters for the Scottish Borders, he advised that resources needed to be located in proximity to where there was the greatest need.   Performance measures were analysed frequently and if they indicated a delay in response time, because of location, consideration would be given to relocation, wherever that might be.  The priority was to ensure that they had the resources to provide the best service.    There followed a discussion on the proceeds of crime initiative and the redistribution of income. Chief Superintendent Marshall advised that the Police did not benefit; the funds were distributed through the Scottish Government to good causes or charitable organisations.  Factors such as level of deprivation and community projects were taken into consideration.   Inspector Wood added that Police Scotland could not bid for funding; for example, the grant from the fund for Hawick Leisure Centre had been arranged by the Community Grants Officer at Scottish Borders Council. 

Chief Superintendent Marshall further advised that the level of drug availability and misuse in the Scottish Borders was at the lower end of the spectrum; Narcotics being more prevalent in larger cities where organised crime units targeted larger markets.  However, cannabis cultivation often occurred in rural locations and there had been a significant seizure fairly recently.   He then went on to discuss the ‘Your View Counts’ public consultation and advised that the priorities remained the same: anti-social behaviour, house break-ins, drug dealing and misuse; and violent crime.  Police Scotland was also developing a Ten Year Plan, which incorporated One, Three and Five Year Plans.  This Plan was important in terms of police operations, budget pressures and the balance between warranted officers and police support officers.  Chief Superintendent Marshall ended his briefing by advising that any issues could be referred to Police Scotland.  He thanked the Forum for the engagement opportunity, their questions and concerns, which he had noted.  The Chairman thanked Superintendent Marshall for attending the Forum and for the informative and interesting briefing.

            DECISION

            NOTED the briefing.