Long arm of the law will catch hold of you

Area commander Chief Inspector Stephen Sneddon wants to be clear; there will be no chats, no warnings – you will be arrested.

Following a community consultation survey in which 378 people across the Wee County were questioned, the top five problems identified were youths causing annoyance, drug dealing and misuse, antisocial behaviour, speeding and parking.

Taking these results into consideration, Clackmannanshire’s Local Policing Plan 2014-2017 aims to respond directly to the community’s needs and demands.

The priorities and objectives set out in the three-year, annually reviewed plan are; Protecting People and Places, Dealing with Antisocial Behaviour, Violent Crime, Disrupting Organised Crime, Crimes of Dishonesty, and Making Roads Safer.

Over the coming weeks the Advertiser will highlight each priority and objective, and what the police force is doing to combat a particular area of crime.

If you have issues you wish to discuss, contact the Clackmannanshire community policing team on 101.

If you have information about crime in your area and wish to provide it anonymously, call CRIMESTOPPERS on 0800 555 111.

VIOLENT CRIME DOWN BUT TOP COP SAYS HIS FORCE WILL NOT REST In the past year violent crime in Clackmannanshire has decreased from 89 to 63 victims, a reduction of 29 per cent.

Area commander Chief Inspector Stephen Sneddon told the Advertiser, “Police in Clackmannanshire are in the business of keeping people safe 24/7, 365 days a year.

“Whilst I am always slightly apprehensive of talking about success when we are speaking of violence and victims - one victim is one too many as far as I am concerned - this is a very welcome reduction.

“However we are far from complacent. With our partners here in Clacks and further afield across Scotland, we are working together to reduce such incidents further.” Violent crime includes all forms of assault as well as robbery, abduction and incidents of child neglect. Many of these incidents occur behind closed doors within the domestic setting and are fuelled by alcohol or drugs.

C.I Sneddon said, “By its very nature violence perpetrated behind close doors, whether this follows a ‘house party’ or within the domestic setting, is challenging, but that does not mean that those who involve themselves in such acts can consider themselves free from arrest and prosecution. Quite the contrary actually.

“Every incident of violent crime is investigated by highly skilled and trained officers whose primary focus is to exploit all evidential opportunities in pursuit of the offender. Last year 98 per cent of those offenders who chose to participate in acts of serious violence were apprehended and presented to the court.

“This should act as a warning to all; your chances of avoiding arrest and prosecution are extremely limited and the consequences can be even more dramatic, for example imprisonment, separated from family and friends, and loss of employment.” The Scottish Government’s ‘No Knives Better Lives’ campaign will continue to operate throughout the Wee County, educating young people about the dangers and consequences of carrying a blade.

Dedicated police units will also continue to work alongside key partner agencies to tackle violence against women, and protect and support victims.

C.I Sneddon said, “Whilst the majority of domestic incidents tend to see the woman as the victim, this is not always the case and men can also be the subject of such violence. “If you find yourself in such circumstances, be reassured whether such violence is physical, mental or emotional you should not consider yourself as anyone’s punch bag.

“As I have previously stated, we are in the business of keeping people safe. Seek our assistance - pick up the phone, email, stop a police car or the officer on the street. You will be supported. Allow us to investigate, allow us to protect you.

“Such violence may not only be impacting on you, but possibly on those around you. Police Scotland, officers across Clacks and our partners can help and I would encourage anyone who find themselves in such a situation to find the strength to come forward.” Within Clackmannanshire’s Local Policing Plan 2014-2017, alcohol was identified as a major contributing factor in respect to assaults.

To combat the misuse of alcohol, Police Scotland will continue to monitor licensed premises as a means of reducing the likelihood of offences and will monitor night-time crowds by means of officers in visible, pre-determined locations to identify potential incidents and take action to stop any violence from developing.

C.I Sneddon added, “Within Clackmannanshire and across Forth Valley we are currently pursuing violent offenders under Operation Tetra, ensuring people feel safe and are safe across the county.

“Should individuals choose to involve themselves in violence they need be absolutely clear we will be calling upon them, not to chat, not to warn, but to arrest.

“Violence in any form will not be tolerated or accommodated by me or my officers - I cannot emphasise that enough.” What Police Scotland aims to do: -Work with partners to tackle violence against women -Target known problem locations and repeat offenders -Ensure licensed premises are supplying alcohol in a responsible manner -Work with partners to tackle violence in houses and other private locations -Ensure sufficient resources are available to police the night-time economy -Prevent the misuse of alcohol What this should mean: -Reduction in crimes of violence -Safer night-time economy -More attractive and safer environment for residents and visitors -Reduction in number of people suffering injuries as a result of violence How performance and success will be measured: -Levels of associated crimes and incidents -Detection rates for associated crimes and incidents -Level and type of activity in respect of licensed premises -Community opinion on impact on quality of life Actions to support this priority: -Analysis of crimes and incidents to target resources to locations and offenders -Increased patrol and response capacity at peak times for offending -Work with partners to develop intervention strategies for violence in houses -Support Management of Violent Offender (MAVO) processes.

-Support local authority ASBO applications to disrupt offenders -Continue to support No Knives Better Lives campaign -Close working relationships with licensed trade to promote the licensing objectives -Continue to develop early intervention actions through the local MATAC process -Allocate responsibility and accountability for delivery against priorities to an officer of superintendent rank NEW OPERATION LEADS TO SEVERAL CLACKS ARRESTS A number of arrests have been made across Clackmannanshire during the first week of Operation Tetra.

Following the execution of 18 warrants, a man was arrested for domestic abuse, two men were arrested in Alva for a firearms incident, one man was arrested for a knife-related assault, and two men were arrested for a number of violent offences in Tullibody and Alloa.

A quantity of cannabis was also recovered from two properties in Alloa.

In addition, alcohol issues were addressed as part of the initiative. Three licensed premises were visited, while eight litres of booze was seized after the search of eight youths on Sauchie Main Street.

Operation Tetra launched on 1 July and will continue through August. It aims to tackle violent crime in Forth Valley - which was identified as a local police priority.

Officers will continue to target violent criminals within the community during the course of the operation, and will be working alongside partners in housing and social work to assist victims and to jointly take action against repeat locations or offenders.

Chief Inspector Mandy Paterson said, “This is a fantastic result for Operation Tetra with a number of known offenders now arrested and charged. Violence is a concern for residents and so our aim is to tackle the perpetrators of violent crime and ensure they are brought to justice.

“Following this first week we have seen an increase in our detection rates across Forth Valley and we have also carried out successful stop and searches, resulting in the recovery of drugs and weapons.

“We are also all too aware that alcohol has a part to play in violence and disorder and so we will be focused on licensed premises over the next week to deal with any issues and concerns.”