Christmas crackdown one in a million for police

Police in Falkirk have declared Operation Christmas a major success with dozens of offenders caught.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Jan 2017, 23:33 BST
Updated 12th Jan 2017, 23:57 BST
Police carried out dozens of patrolsPolice carried out dozens of patrols
Police carried out dozens of patrols

And it also keep officers busy as it’s estimated they collectively took over a million steps on dedicated daytime patrols during the six-week initiative aimed at keeping Falkirk safe.
That’s not including the additional patrols carried out by local ward officers, special constables and response officers from November 28 to January 8.
As a result of Operation Christmas 20 people were charged with theft by shoplifting and 11 warrants were completed for those wanted on outstanding issues.
Sixty-four tickets issued for illegal parking in Falkirk town centre, along with three drivers charged with not having either an MoT or insurance.
There were five recoveries of controlled substances and one man was traced in possession of counterfeit money. Another man was charged with littering. 
Sergeant Liam Harman of Falkirk Ward Policing Team, who supervised the operation, said: “The aim of Operation Christmas is to provide reassurance to members of the public shopping and socialising in the town, to prevent offences and to detect them as well.
“Reported shopliftings are down comparatively form last year’s operation which ran one week less than this year.”
“Officers dealt with a variety of issues and I hope that any person either shopping or working in Falkirk town centre has a positive experience if interacting with officers when on patrol.
“I’d also like to take the opportunity to remind people that they can fill out a questionnaire on our Police Scotland web page by searching Your View Counts on the page and clicking on the link.
“It gives you an opportunity to tell us what’s important to you in your community.”
Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said: “Operation Christmas has been a fantastic initiative, which has garnered excellent results for the Falkirk area.
“The campaign is a key part of our policing calendar, with officers throughout the country working hard to keep people safe during the festivities and developing different local initiatives to meet different local needs.
“I congratulate Sergeant Harman on his hard work over the last six week to promote safety in the Falkirk area and look forward to seeing more from the Falkirk Ward Policing Team in the future.”