MSP Tom McCabe clashes with police over crime concerns

Sep 30 2010 Hamilton Advertiser

FIGURES indicating that crime levels are at their lowest for 10 years have failed to impress people in Hamilton and Blantyre, a survey has revealed.

Residents remain concerned about crime, antisocial behaviour and offences involving knives.

Hamilton South MSP Tom McCabe, who conducted the survey, said more needed to be done to address the crime-related concerns of people in his constituency.

Mr McCabe sought views on crime in a survey attached to a newsletter distributed in several areas of the constituency during the summer recess.

A total of 174 constituents out of the 211 who have so far responded described crime and antisocial behaviour as matters of greatest importance to them.

Ninety-two constituents said that they were aware of issues of antisocial behaviour in their area that needed to be tackled.

And 136 of the 211 people who have responded said that, in terms of national issues, they were concerned about a lack of action on knife crime.

Mr McCabe said that recent figures suggesting that crime is at a low were not reflected in the views of constituents who responded to the survey.

“The results show that crime and antisocial behaviour is a major concern for the significant majority of people who responded,” he added.

“There was also considerable anxiety regarding a lack of action on knife crime.”

He is to raise the issues highlighted in the survey with Ministers.

Superintendent Colin Campbell of Hamilton Police admitted that influencing and reducing the fear of crime as well as cutting the number of crimes remained a challenge for them and the courts.

He said there had been a general reduction in crime of all types over recent years and overall crime in South Lanarkshire in 2009-10 was at its lowest for 10 years.

Supt Campbell added: “We also recognise through consulting, meeting and working closely with people across South Lanarkshire that issues around violence and antisocial behaviour feature highly in the top three policing issues identified.

“This information, along with all other relevant data, is brought together to produce a Local Policing Plan which the community policing teams use to tackle the problems.”

Progress against this year’s plans, which are published on the internet at http://www.strathclyde.police.uk/ , is currently being reviewed.

Supt. Campbell claimed their own survey found that 84 per cent of residents rate their neighbourhood as a very good or fairly good place to live; 79 per cent felt police listened to their concerns about local policing issues, and almost 80 per cent said they were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with policing in their area.

He continued to have concerns about knife crime and said they would build on operations which last year saw the seizure of 180 knives in South Lanarkshire.

So far this year police in South Lanarkshire have carried out more than 16,000 stop-searches, many of them in known ‘hot spots’ for weapon carrying.

“We are committed to addressing the concerns of the community and will continue to work with all partners and elected representatives to achieve this,” he added