'Ball of duty' for Rachel as she kicks off Community Officer role in style
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
I CAN hardly believe that has been a month since my introduction article – and what a month it has been!
Over the past few weeks I have been focusing on one of the main priorities set out in the Local Outcome Improvement Plan for Buckie which is “building a better future for our children and young people in Moray”.
Children and young people in Scotland are an integral part of the communities Police Scotland serve, and we are committed to supporting them and, most importantly, keeping them safe.
On Friday October 9, Active Schools Buckie and Police Scotland launched a Street Soccer initiative with an aim of providing free access to football sessions in an attempt to minimise anti-social behaviour in the local area. Myself and school liaison Officer, PC Millican, also attended and even managed a wee kick about ourselves!
The sessions were held at the astroturf pitches in Buckie on three consecutive Fridays during the October holidays, and what a fantastic turn out we had each week.
Buckie councillors Sonya Warren, Tim Eagles and Gordon Cowie also attended the event, and I promised Councillors Eagle and Cowie that I would include a short message from them. Councillor Eagle said he was “so pleased to see Police Scotland and Active Schools coming together to run street soccer. With a combination of football and half time talks to help tackle anti-social crime this was a great way to build partnerships between the police, council and local young people. I cannot thank enough all involved."
Councillor Cowie added that “it was a pleasure to be asked along to this event and to see the pleasures on the children’s faces taking part. It was very well organised with plenty of helpers to make sure all went without any hitches. It was great to see the kids enjoying a bit of exercise in this trying times and I can’t thank the police and Buckie High School for all their time and effort they have put in. It was a very worthwhile.”
During the final week, Buckie Thistle Football club attended and held a Beat the Goalie event where all the young people involved took part in a penalty shootout with keeper Lee Herbert. The winner was presented with a signed Buckie Thistle football, presented by the club, and I would like to thank them sincerely for their support.
As a result of this initiative, we noticed a decrease in the number of calls we were receiving regarding youths involved in antisocial behaviour, so I also want to pay tribute to all the young people who came along and took part.
In the past month, police officers have also been carrying out patrols at educational establishments in the Buckie and Keith areas in response to concerns from local schools. As a result, some drugs were recovered and numerous youths were spoken to about their behaviour. Buckie Police Office also took part in Moray’s Pumpkin Trail which allowed children to safely take part in guising this year and proved extremely popular.
Meanwhile, I carried out a foot patrol in East Church Street in Buckie and met with local shop owners where issues regarding parking and litter were expressed. From this, I contacted Moray Council and hope to resolve these issues in the near future.
Looking forward, I will be taking the mobile police office into our communities to carry out “community surgeries” to make policing more accessible. Keep your eyes peeled for dates and venues.
