Dundee SNP

Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick today welcomed the continuing downward trend of crimes of vandalism and malicious damage in Dundee and the increasing rate of detection of such crimes by Tayside Police.

Although beat numbers have been re-organised within the Central Division of Tayside police, figures show that the total number of offences in 2007 was 3429 which reduced to 3374 in 2008 which reduced to 2832 in 2009, while the detection rate figures were: 858, 750 and 800 in the corresponding period, which is a detection rate of 25% (2007)  22% (2008) and 28% (2009).

Joe FitzPatrick said: “These figures show that the number of crimes of vandalism and malicious damage are on a downward trend over the last ten years and the police are having greater success in detecting these crimes.

“There are a number of reasons for this. The police have successfully targeted repeat offenders so they have been able to detect more crimes committed by the same individual, even although perpetrators of vandalism offences are difficult to detect as they mostly occur when no-one is around.

“The police have taken a number of initiatives which have proved to be successful so far. A Vandalism Action Plan has been in operation since May 2009 and a Community Task Force was deployed in the Hilltown and Stobswell areas under a remit to tackle vandalism.

“Operation Dry-up which targeted underage drinkers, and which I saw for myself last year, is dealing with the correlation of drinking and the occurrence of vandalism.  The provision of diversionary facilities, many funded by the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities scheme is also helping to steer young people away from these types of offences.

“The statistics show that it is a relatively small group of persistent offenders committing many offences. The Scottish Government and Tayside Police regard vandalism and malicious damage as a crime which should not be tolerated. It costs society a lot of money, which is money that could be spent on services. The public can assist in detecting and preventing these crimes by giving information to the police as speedily as possible.”

Local SNP Councillor Jim Barrie is pleased to announce that the burnt out paper bin within the Neighbourhood Recycling Point at the junction of Bankmill Road and Milnbank Road will be replaced very shortly.

Councillor Barrie said “The standard policy to replace the bin for a second time will continue, but if further incidents occur the result will be the removal of the paper bin from the unit. ”

“I would urge members of the public to report any incidents of vandalism, as this facility is well used and very popular with local residents”  “It is a shame that a minority of the public feel it necessary to deprive their fellow residents of a handy place to dispose of their papers.  It is also very costly to the Council and the ratepayers as well”

“Recycling is now becoming very popular with the public in Dundee, it  helps the environment, saves money, and is a useful contribution for making the city meet challenges that have to be tackled for the future” ended Cllr. Barrie.