Community cops urge residents to come forward

Aug 19 2010 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

POLICE in Larkhall and Blantyre seeking to crack down on yob behaviour have urged residents to have no fear in voicing their concerns.

Community policing teams, led by Inspector Andy Munro, wish to become more familiar and approachable for people in these areas.

The latest drive to curb anti-social behaviour involves officers talking to residents at community consultation events, increased foot patrols and visits to local primary schools to provide a friendly face.

We spoke to two community cops about efforts in their area to meet and greet local residents and allay any fears they may have about talking to police.

Constable Laura Drovandi is stationed with Blantyre Community Policing Team.

The 33-year-old started off in Glasgow, serving three-and-a-half years there, before moving to Hamilton Police Office to serve another three years. She has now been in Blantyre for over a year.

Constable Drovandi explained that much of her work has been getting to know the local residents and their concerns, while reassuring them that the police are approachable.

She said: “A lot of what we do is mainly reassuring the public that we are there to help them.

“I want to encourage people to come and talk to myself and my colleagues if there have been any problems.

She continued: “We have been doing a lot of interaction with kids at primary school so that they can get to know their local community officers.

“I have also been part of a lot of high-visibility foot patrols in the Springwells area of the town due to recent murders there.

“I get to know a lot of the kids round those streets and they learn to talk to us on first-name terms.

“There are also lot of action plans put in place in specific areas with high incident rates, such as youth disorder, violence and street drinking.

“Another good thing we have been doing is to appear at local councillors’ surgeries.”

She added: “We know a lot of residents are quite apprehensive to be seen talking to the police so it is very useful for them to go to the surgeries and talk to us without anyone knowing.

“We want people to come forward and tell us if they are experiencing any issues.”

A newer face at Larkhall Community Police is PC Derek McCracken (45), who has spent his entire two-year police career working in Larkhall and has been getting to know residents through increased patrols and consultation events.

He explained: “Our work at the local primary schools lets the children ask us questions and learn what we do in their area.

“It also helps them get to know us and find out that we actually are alright to talk to.

“The residents also get to know our faces from being out and about on foot patrol.

“I attend a lot of community council meetings, where we are able to listen to the concerns of people in Larkhall and also provide them with updates of what is going on in the area.”

He added: “We want people to be able to talk to us and tell us what their concerns are within the community.

“If any particular area is highlighted as a problem spot, then we look to increase our presence there.”

l If you are suffering from anti-social behaviour, contact your local community policing team.