Community policing remains a top priority locally, according to the area’s top cop.
Speaking as he confirmed a new dedicated officer for Alexandria had been appointed, Local Area Commander for West Dunbartonshire, Inspector Ryan McMurdo, said that a number of serial thieves had been brought to justice.
Inspector McMurdo told a meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council’s housing and communities committee: “When I started last year I pledged that I would look to enhance our community policing team.
“In addition to our two town centre officers in Clydebank and Dumbarton I’m pleased to announce that from Monday (February 27) Alexandria will have a town centre officer, PC Paul Campbell.
“PC Campbell will cover Alexandria, Balloch and Loch Lomond Shores.
“Moreover we’ve added a further youth engagement officer, our third in the area. They are really important to us in terms of working closely with local young people in schools and in a care environment.
“Community policing for me remains front and centre in terms of our proactive approach to dealing with crime and keeping our communities across the area safe.
“I’ll continue to work hard to keep those teams properly resourced.
“Over the last few months we’ve managed to arrest a number of serial offenders in relation to thefts across the division. We’re working with our financial investigation unit and with staff within banks to combat fraud.
“We’ve introduced perpetrator management plans for serious offenders of domestic abuse.
“Community policing collaborates with the council and trading standards to deal with the illegal sale of tobacco.
“We have also been really proactive over the festive period in relation to violence and anti-social behaviour.”
His comments came as newly-published figures showed that, in West Dunbartonshire, non-sexual crimes of violence have risen by 31 percent while in Argyll and Bute, they increased by 21 percent in the last year alone.
There has also been a spike in the number of fraud cases, which have shown a 149 percent increase in West Dunbartonshire over the same period.
Other crimes have shown a drop however, with the number of anti-social behaviour incidents dropping eight percent below the five-year average.
An 8.6 percent decrease in vehicle crime was also reported, however housebreaking incidents have increased by 3.7 percent.
Assaults resulting from family disputes have increased from 43 to 57 (+14), whilst assaults on police and emergency workers have also risen from 118 to 131 (+13) year on year.
Across Argyll and West Dunbartonshire 17 people linked to serious and organised crime have been arrested and £124,825 has been seized under the proceeds of crime act, whilst drug supply charges reduced by 18.9 percent from 74 to 60. Drug possession charges also reduced by 7.9 percent from 504 to 464.
