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Community Forum Examines
Safety Issues in The Valley
‘Increasing Police Presence on Our Streets Makes Them Safer’
 LOCAL
Labour MSP Allan Wilson was the keynote speaker at the recent Garnock Valley
Community Safety
Forum held in Beith Community centre.
Addressing the conference Mr Wilson discussed the community safety agenda
from the point of view of a
Scottish Executive Minister and spoke about his own experiences growing up
in the Garnock Valley.
"Recent figures released by Strathclyde Police showing that crime has fallen
by 13% over the last year
demonstrate that Scottish Executive policy on increasing police numbers and.
introducing CCTV to our
town centres is having a deterrent effect in reducing crime in North
Ayrshire,” said Mr Wilson.
"These statistics, allied to others which show a substantial increase from
46% to 55% in the rate of
detection of all crime reported to the police, support our view that
increasing police presence on our
streets makes them safer” said Mr Wilson.
"When I was a young man the presence of heroin and other class A drugs was
virtually unheard of in our
communities. Now they are rife, and undermine the fabric of our society,
That’s why we have introduced
new legal powers to confiscate the profits made by the criminal drug dealing
of those responsible for
peddling misery in our midst.”
Already £37.4million of drugs have been seized, including 280kg of class A
drugs, since the
establishment of the Drugs Enforcement Agency, and the Minister said the
Government committed an extra
£100m over three years to combat drugs misuse in every community in
Scotland.
"The Radio City project will incorporate CCTV as well as providing positive
leisure and
recreational opportunities for young people in the Valley to pursue as an
alternative to drugs misuse.
There will also be advice on sex, drugs and substance abuse on hand to help
steer young people into
healthier lifestyles,” added Mr Wilson.
“And improving safety in schools and safer routes to school, as well as
better traffic management in
our town centres, will cut road traffic accidents as will our investment in
the road infrastructure of
the Valley.”
The conference was a joint effort between NAC’s Community Learning and
Development and the Garnock
Valley Community Safety Forum, funded by the Scottish Executive Challenge
Fund. |
