Report reveals crime hotspots
Published 10 Oct 2012 09:00
8 Comments
DUNFERMLINE city centre and Broomhead Drive have been identified as crime hotspots in a report that goes before councillors today (Wednesday).
Both areas were highlighted as having a high volume of anti-social behaviour, which included assault, breach of the peace and vandalism - with the centre also being a hotbed for dishonesty crime.
The report, compiled for April to August this year, revealed Dunfermline had seen a 10 per cent reduction in dishonesty crime, but added there had been a rise in the number of people detected for it.
Several youths were also hauled up in a recent police crackdown on loutish behaviour.
The youngsters were picked up for offences including underage drinking and general nuisance, with a number taken home for a talking-to and warning in front of their folks.
Among them were drunk juveniles in Broomhead Drive/Victoria Street/Trenchard Place who were stopped by police patrols.
In Abbeyview, more than 20 litres of alcohol were seized from youngsters, with four fixed penalty tickets issued to teens aged 18 and 19.
In Touch/Garvockhill, several people received fines for drinking in public and other disorder offences, while a number in Townhill received fixed penalties for drinking and urinating/defecating in public.
In Crossford, more than 10 litres of alcohol were confiscated from youths in the park, with a couple of people reported for offences.
Officers also tackled youth disorder at Pitreavie Golf Course and issued several fixed penalties.
Efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour included the re-introduction of the Broomhead Drive 'police surgery', increasing checks of licensed premises, test purchase operations and high-visibility patrols.
Crime prevention activities, such as Twilight Sports @ Duloch, TouchTastic3, dedicated action nights at Pitreavie Academy of Sport and Blue Light Discos were also credited in helping reduce the problem.
Furthermore, Domehawk CCTV cameras are currently at Pitcorthie Drive, Wheater Court, Shearwater playpark, East Port and Lilac Grove playpark.
The crackdown also resulted in 21 people reported for drugs offences after they were stopped and searched in James Street.
Moreover, there were numerous drug street searches and drug warrants carried out in the town centre, Brucefield, Touch/Garvockhill and Abbeyview.
These resulted in cannabis busts, seizures of controlled substances and several individuals reported to the fiscal.
Speeding was also flagged up, with more than 200 drivers collared under the Community Speed Watch campaign in Parkneuk/Carnock Road. They have since been sent warning letters.
Traffic wardens and officers carried out checks in Main Street and Waggon Road in Crossford and traffic wardens were at Pitreavie and Canmore primary schools with monitoring equipment to tackle speeders.
In addition, the illegal use of scramblers and motorbikes in the Eastern Expansion saw one person charged and reported for road traffic offences and warnings issued to several others.
Parking was another problem, with several people given warnings about parking outside shops in St Andrew Street.
The report added that over the timeframe there was a 12 per cent reduction in reported crime compared to the same period last year, amounting to 137 fewer victims.
A new initiative, 'Escalate', was introduced in April targeting private addresses or people whose behaviours are pre-cursors to violence and, to date, Dunfermline has seen a 31 per cent decrease in instances of serious violent crimes within private spaces and a similar reduction in anti-social behaviour calls.
This article appeared in Dunfermline Press 10 Oct 12
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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ChuckD
64 posts
Oct 10, 10:30
Report commentDunfermline City Centre is a lot better than it was, although still has a way to go.
Does this report include Inverkeithing and Rosyth, or have they been convenient left out as usual?
Recommend?
Yes 13
No 2
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char
131 posts
Oct 10, 20:45
Report commentDunfermline is far safer than other areas in Scotland but have to admit it saddens me seeing jakies bothering people outside the Kingsgate, down the side of Harlem and around the Bus Station. Town centres are suffering enough without having customers put off by these people. They're a public nuisance and the police should be nipping this in the bud.
Recommend? Yes 25
No 0
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estelle1
1 post
Oct 11, 13:42
Report commentBroomhead a crime hotspot! And your council is spending 5 million on them! Go figure.
Unbelievable!
Recommend? Yes 39
No 5
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RigPig
53 posts
Oct 11, 16:56
Report commentTotally agree estelle1. Im betting the booze confiscated in Crossford was a Chatteu neuf de pap or similar. (bad spelling I know)
Recommend? Yes 4
No 0
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DunfermlineEast
137 posts
Oct 12, 12:02
Report commentWhy would they be drinking chateau neuf de pape in Crossgates? It looks like buckie out of a bag or White Lightening sort of place. It has some nice houses off the road towards Fordell but the rest is down at heel, grey council land. With rough looking houses and people.
Recommend? Yes 2
No 10
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Catlady57
38 posts
Oct 12, 13:22
Report commentExcuse me Dunfermline East - the comment said Crossford - not Crossgates!
Recommend? Yes 6
No 0
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******
Oct 13, 07:48
Report commentThis comment has been removed by a moderator
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cameronsdemise
33 posts
Oct 13, 07:54
Report commentDUNFERMLINE'S A MESS , ANYBODY REMEMBER THE PROVOST RITCHIE IN INVERKEITHING , HE USED TO WALK ROUND ALL STREETS IN HIS AREA CHECKING WHO KEEPS THEIR COUNCIL PROPERTY AND GARDEN UP TO SCRATCH , EVICTION NOTICES WERE FEW, BUT EFFECTIVE.
Recommend? Yes 6
No 0
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TheDEXExpress
109 posts
Oct 13, 09:49
Report commentIf a crackdown on illegal parking in St Andrew Street amounts to 'several people' being given a warning, I'm not sure that really counts as determined action to address a bugbear of many in Dunfermline. Does that mean they've done nothing in the world's most trafficked pedestrianised street elsewhere in town in the period in question? Indeed, this suggests that there needs to be a significant ramping up of activity on this issue. There's some really positive stuff in there too, of course, but it all looks like a report of routine activity that one would expect the police to do anyway. I'm not sure it amounts to news.
Meanwhile, I was interested to read in The Courier, the Scotsman and even the Guardian yesterday the latest instalment in the increasingly bizarre Alhambra saga. No doubt The Press will report the story in next week's edition, but curious readers can easily google it in the meantime. This time, Fife Constabulary appear to have taken a starring role. If the facts are as reported - which may be a big 'if' - then Fife Constabulary have some questions to answer, as well as looking slightly silly. Once again, surely 'a quiet word' from an officer would have resolved any problem there was felt to be as a result of this rather juvenile stunt. Presumably the individuals affected will be making a formal complaint in due course. I, for one, would like to know how much public money this escapade cost and, as importantly, how much officer time was wasted that could otherwise have been used in detecting crime. This is now starting to get out of hand. Is anyone in authority going to get a grip?
Here's an idea - why doesn't the editor of The Press get senior folk from Fife Council, the Alhambra, Fife Constabulary, Arts and Theatres Trust Fife and anyone else with an interest together over a nice cup of tea to come up with an agreement as to how collectively they are going to nurture not only the Alhambra but also the Carnegie and other current and future arts venues in Dunfermline? That should include a commitment by the Alhambra management to play by the rules that everyone is supposed to abide by, as well as a similar commitment by the public agencies to rediscover a bit of common sense, a quality that seems to be sorely lacking at the moment. And let's make a positive out of a negative. Such a conversation could also look at how the Fire Station and St Andrew's Erskine building proposals plus the new museum could be rolled up into a wider cultural strategy for the town. I'm not talking about the usual highly expensive public sector strategising involving fancy consultants that generally leads nowhere. I'd just like the key people to commit to getting round a table every month or two to talk to each other about how we build on the excellent facilities that we already have. I would like to see such an agreement printed in the paper.
Recommend? Yes 14
No 1
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