Crackdown on our High Street

A major crackdown is underway to tackle anti-social behaviour in Falkirk town centre.
There's an increased police presence in Falkirk town centreThere's an increased police presence in Falkirk town centre
There's an increased police presence in Falkirk town centre

Police have launched a three-week initiative to reduce youth disorder, drug misuse and drinking alcohol in public.

Already their campaign is seeing results with several arrests in the first day including one for assault, one for drug possession, one for threatening and abusive behaviour and three for drinking in public.

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Officers were also able to quickly trace a three-year-old girl who had wandered off from her parents.

The initiative follows complaints from people working, living and shopping in the town centre about anti-social incidents. These include one male urinating outside Marks and Spencer on a Friday afternoon in full view of the public and others drug taking.

Community Inspector Liam Harman, who is leading the operation, said: “We are responding to community concerns and working closely with our partners, including Falkirk Council, Falkirk Delivers, Howgate security and our CCTV operators.

“We have two dedicated town centre officers in PCs Kieran Payne and Colin McInally, but have also been using plain clothes officers to make regular patrols between 10am and 8pm. We have also had our mobile office in the town centre.

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“I would encourage people to call 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to report any concerns they may have.”

Alex Fleming from Falkirk Delivers said: “We have recognised an escalation in complaints from businesses and members of the public regarding anti-social behaviour in our town centre. We fed this back to the relevant partners and appreciate the action which has been taken this far.”

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of a number of problems that have recently come to light in Falkirk’s town centre especially in regard to some aspects of anti social behaviour. We are speaking with a number of partners including Police Scotland and Falkirk Delivers in an attempt to eradicate the problem and ensure that Falkirk has a safe, clean and hazard free town centre.”