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On the beat


By David Porter

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Turriff based sergeant Richard Barnwell has given the latest ward report for Turriff and District which covers progress made for the Ward 7 areas during December 2019.

This covers Turriff, Fyvie, Rothienorman, Cuminestown, Auchterless, Fisherford and Methlick.

As Richard said: “Our focus is to reduce crime and disorder, help create safer communities and respond effectively to local concerns.”

Antisocial behaviour, Violence and Disorder - During this period there have been six recorded assaults.

Three occurred at licensed premises over the festive period and the other three were domestic related.

There has been two recorded vandalism across the entire area, one appears to have been a reckless act of breaking a window within the Turriff area and the other was the destruction of campaign posters linked to the recent election.

There has been three incidents of public disorder and threatening behaviour, one being a contained domestic incident, one being a contained incident between two persons in Methlick and the last being at a licensed premises in Turriff over the festive period.

I am pleased to advise that we have received no reports of damage done to any public property this month.

Acquisitive Crime - there has been four reports of acquisitive crime.

a theft by housebreaking with intent to steal was reported at a commercial premises within Fyvie and a theft of a motor vehicle from a rural property in Turriff.

Both are currently be investigated by officers from the criminal investigation department. an attempted theft and a theft by shoplifting was also reported in Turriff area.

Road Safety and 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 six road traffic offences reported which includes failing to stop at the scene of an accident, careless driving, dangerous driving, as well as construction and use offences.

These were detected right across the ward from Methlick, to the A947, Turriff and Cuminestown.

Due to December being a busier month for Police Scotland, Formartine CPT were unable to dedicate officers to carry out specific Operation Illustrious patrols within Ward 7 this month but the service is expected to return to normal in the New Year.

Other incidents - Speeding and parking issues continue to be the priority issue highlighted by the majority of our areas.

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.

This month we had three positive drug stops within our area, one being at a licensed premises in the Methlick area and two being within Turriff town centre.

The offenders have been charged and reports have been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

We also received a report of a minor Fire Raising with the grounds of Rothienorman Primary School, this was a very minor fire and was extinguished without the assistance of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service an enquires continue.

Community Engagement - 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 them enter or travel through our villages and towns.

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 the Rural Watch Scotland website.

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.

Contact - If members of the community witness any suspicious activity it can be reported to the Police using the following:

101 – Non emergency

Email – TurriffDistrictCPT@Scotland.pnn.police.uk

Twitter – @NorthEPolice

Facebook – www.facebook.com/NorthEastPoliceDivision

Web – www.scotland.police.uk

999 – Emergency

0800 555 111 – Crimestoppers




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