Crime rates drop

Jennifer Foulds • Published 19 Aug 2010 09:30 0 Comments

Share this

THE main challenge facing police in Helensburgh is sustaining its excellent crime statistics, says the area’s Chief Superintendent.

The comments come after the release of new figures for the area which are “all positive”.

And Chief Superitendent John Thomson added that letters of appreciation written by Helensburgh residents have doubled recently, which is “a credit to Inspector Mark Lundie and his team”.

He added: “People are taking their time to write letters saying they are happy.

“We want to assure people that Helensburgh is a safe place to live and raise a family, and we want to maintain that equilibrium.

“The challenge for us is sustaining these statistics.”

The quarterly figures for the L-division, from April to June this year, and compared to the same period last year, show that serious violent crime in Helensburgh and Garelochhead is down 60 per cent.

This compliments positive figures for the whole of ‘L’ Division - which includes Dumbarton, Alexandria and Clydebank - which shows serious violent crime is down by 29.5 per cent.

Inspector Lundie says police officers have been pro-active in the community, and the results show with police increasing the number of stop and searches by 136 per cent.

Police have also issued 20.5 per cent more anti-social behaviour fixed penalty tickets.

Mr Thomson also says the falling crime numbers are down to analytical co-ordination and deploying resources effectively.

He said: “There is a science to this.

“It is about identifying locations, places and times and having a plan to make sure you maximise visibility.

“We will analyse trends, for example the population increases in Helensburgh during July and August.”

Inspector Lundie added: “We really are on the ball to address any issue, and have to adapt to any concern.

“It is about co-ordinating the appropriate people and the appropriate resources at the appropriate time.

“We engage with the public and through the public consultations we can do exactly what the public want us to do.

“It’s a very good area but people still need to feel safe by police presence.

”People are saying they are seeing more police officers on the streets and that they are feeling reassured by this.”

Since Inspector Lundie joined the Helensburgh team last year, he has made a few changes such as beginning joint patrols with the Ministry of Defence police and inviting them to briefings so that they can all assist each other - and he takes a hard line on drugs.

He added: “I will not tolerate one drug dealer in Helensburgh - one is too many.”

FANCY supporting Helensburgh police and volunteering a small number of hours every week to learn new skills?

Inspector Lundie says the police are always looking to increase the amount of special constables on the beat in Helensburgh.

Special constables offer invaluable support to regular officers in the community.

They work alongside regular officers, with similar powers, a uniform and comprehensive training - forging strong partnerships in the community, patrolling streets, preventing crime and interacting with all kinds of people.

Most special constables work at least four hours a week - with shifts arranged to suit their lifestyle.

This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 12 Aug 10

Follow @helensburghadv

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.