Ward 7 Community Council Report TURRIFF AND DISTRICT FYVIE, ROTHIENORMAN AND MONQUHITTER AUCHTERLESS, INVERKEITHNY AND FISHERFORD METHLICK February 2020 **In the event of a Police non-attendance at the meeting, can you ensure that you provide any concerns raised at the meeting to the Police ASAP by email to ensure we capture any issues early and can provide an update at the next meeting.** Community Council Report This report covers progress we have made in dealing with your priorities for the Ward 7 areas during February 2020. The report aims to highlight emerging issues in your area, and to provide crime prevention advice and guidance to Community Council members and residents you represent. Our focus is to reduce crime and disorder, help create safer communities and respond effectively to local concerns. Community Policing Priorities Ward overview: Community Council No. of Crime Reports Area Turriff and District 22 Fyvie, Rothienorman 9 and Monquhitter Auchterless, 5 Inverkeithny and Fisherford Methlick 0 Note: Please be advised that the numbers above relate to individual crime reports recorded by Police Scotland during the review period. A single crime report may contain multiple offences. Antisocial behaviour, Violence and Disorder: During this period there have been four recorded minor Assaults. Two were contained within domestic relationships in the Turriff area, the other two relate to Assaults between pupils at school premises, one in Turriff and the other in Rothienorman. Positive action has been taken in relation to the two school related assaults and the domestic incidents remain under investigation. There has been one report of Assault and Robbery within the Turriff area this month. It was contained within a rural address and occurred between persons known to one another. The enquiry was quickly brought to a positive conclusion with the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Department, with the offenders having been presented to court of the offence already. There have been three recorded Vandalism across the entire area this month, one relating to damage being caused to a parked car in a public car park in Turriff. Another related to damage caused to gates at rural property within the Turriff area. The third relates to damage caused to posts within the Cuminestown area. All three are still under investigation at this time. There have been six incidents of public disorder and threatening behaviour this month. Two relate to threatening and abusive behaviour contained with domestic relationships, one in the Turriff area and the other in the Fyvie area. Two individuals were issued fixed penalty notices after being found urinating in a public place, within the Turriff area during weekend festivities. The final two relate to further threatening and abusive behaviour conducted in the Turriff area, one during the evening at a weekend and the other on a weekday afternoon. The first individual was issued a fixed penalty ticket to deal with the matter and the other a Recorded Police Warning. Acquisitive Crime: During this period we have received four reports of acquisitive type crime. One relates to the Theft of a motor vehicle from a commercial garage in Turriff. The vehicle was quickly recovered and we are following positive lines of enquiry at this time. There was also a theft of a caravan from a home in Cuminestown, the perpetrator of this crime has been traced and charged with this offence along with numerous other similar crimes from all across Scotland. The third relates to the Theft of a charity tin from a commercial store within Turriff, again we are following positive lines of enquiry in relation to this. The forth and final incident relates to the theft of property from an insecure vehicle in the Turriff area, this enquiry is still ongoing. Road Safety & Road Crime: Formartine CPT supported by Roads Policing units continue to target anti-social driving within Turriff and the surrounding towns. The major issues remain around Turriff High Street and Tesco Car Park and is frequently discussed between Police and partner agencies. There have been eighteen recorded traffic offences during this period. These include 10 speeding offences detected in connection with Operation Illustrious patrols. The remaining offences include driving whilst using a mobile telephone, drink driving, careless driving and failing to stop after an accident. There has been one report of driving with a dangerous load whereby machinery has spilled from the back of a HGV causing a collision in the Fyvie area. In April 2019, Operation Illustrious launched which has seen dedicated speeding patrols conducted across our area, specifically Methlick, Woodhead of Fyvie, Rothienorman and Turriff. This operation is due to run for 12 months with regular deployment of dedicated Officers to carry out patrols and speed checks in response to concerns raised. Working in conjunction with Aberdeenshire council, several locations have been identified as problem areas. During February, officers from the Formartine CPT have been deployed in various areas within Ward 7. This included; Turriff, where three drivers were issued tickets for excessive speed, Rothienorman, where two drivers were issued tickets for excessive speed, Auchterless, where 5 drivers were issued tickets for excessive speed and finally Methlick where one driver was warned in relation to speed. Other incidents: Speeding and Parking issues continue to be the priority issue highlighted by all of our towns and villages. This remains a focus for local officers and further patrols will be carried out with a view of combating and reducing this issue. Controlled drugs and their use/sale remains an issue across all Local Policing Areas in the North East however, with the support of the Community and regular reporting on drug dealing and drug use, Officers from the Formartine Local Policing Team will continue to proactively tackle those involved in this type of crime. Any information available from members of the public is invaluable and can be passed to Police using any of the below ‘Contact Us’ methods. Community Engagement & Reassurance Community Beat Officer Our Community Beat Officer PC Douglas Donald continues to engage with our communities and has been attending various clubs and meetings across the Formartine area to provide Policing inputs and discussion with their members. PC Donald has been carrying out regular foot patrols in our more rural towns and villages. By speaking with locals and listening to their concerns he has been able to highlight local issues as well as gaining vital information to assist in the detection of crimes. PC Donald is also responsible for the deployment of our mobile speed sign, which he has deployed in various communities within Formartine. Its aim is to provide drivers with a visual representation of their speed and educate them as they enter or travel through our villages and towns. Operation Cedar/Illustrious Operation CEDAR continues to target driver behaviour with a focus on education of poor behaviours. This core operation forms a key part of our local anti-social behaviour / driving campaigns, Operation ABACABLUE and Operation ILLUSTRIOUS. Operation ILLUSTRIOUS, in direct conjunction with Op CEDAR, will take the form of dedicated high visibility and intelligence led patrols and speed checks across the Formartine area by Officers from the Formartine Local Policing Team, based at Ellon and Turriff, supported by Officers from North East Division's Roads Policing Unit. Rural Watch North East Scotland Rural Crime and Safety Partnership has been set up to specifically target matters affecting rural areas, including road safety, acquisitive crime, agricultural safety, live- stock worrying and hare-coursing. In addition to this and after recent consultation with the national Neighbourhood Watch and the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC), the Formartine Community Policing Team is keen to encourage local residents to sign up and use “Rural Watch Scotland”. You can register online by visiting: https://member-registration.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/173/Join We will be looking to use this service more often to issue urgent alerts in relation to rural crimes, offences or other activities which happen within our area. It is a fantastic tool that can be used to provide targeted information to the people who need it most. Sign up is free and doesn’t take long. Safety Advice Again this month we are encouraging local residents and businesses to be mindful of their security. This month has been a prime example how opportunistic thieves make quick work of property that is left unattended or insecure. By ensuring your doors and windows are locked, even whilst you are at home, as well as securing your vehicles and ensuring valuables are not left within them, will make your property a harder target for criminals. By remaining vigilant and take these preventative steps you will be less likely to fall victim to acquisitive type crime. Further crime reduction advice is available at https://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/home- and-personal-property/secure-your-home. If members of the community witness any suspicious activity it can be reported to the Police using the methods detailed below. Contact Us Please also remember you can communicate with us using any of the following: Ø ' 101 – Non emergency; Ø ; Email - [email protected] Ø ; Twitter - @NorthEPolice Ø ; Facebook – www.facebook.com/NorthEastPoliceDivision Ø ; Web – www.scotland.police.uk Ø ' 999 – Emergency; Ø ' 0800 555 111 - Crimestoppers; Sergeant Richard Barnwell Formartine Community Policing Team Date: 01 March 2020 .