Whitburn councillors have complained that they are being kept in the dark by police about serious incidents in the ward, after it emerged buses had been forced to change their routes to avoid being pelted with stones.
George Paul, a senior Labour councillor and the Executive councillor for communities, raised the issue at both the ward’s local area committee and another meeting with senior police officers a few days later.
He was backed up by SNP councillor Mary Dickson. Both told Sgt Mike Hart at the Whitburn and Blackburn Local Area Committee that they had been caught off guard by constituents who had raised issues of public disorder with them.
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Councillor Paul told Sgt Hart that neither he nor his fellow councillors knew about the problem which had seen buses serving Blackburn withdrawn after stone throwing by local teenagers.
Councillor Paul told the local area committee: “Youths in Blackburn have been throwing stones at buses and the buses have had to change their route rather than going into Blackburn.
"I have a problem with that. Mary (Dickson), Jim ( Dickson), myself and Kirsteen (Sullivan) were never informed about this. We only got this through some of the tenants and some of the users of the bus service. There’s a lot of things happening in Whitburn Blackburn Seafield and Greenrigg that we should get word about.
“It’s only a bit of courtesy, of saying [ to the councillors ] this is what’s happening in the ward. If I’m at a surgery in Whitburn and a tenant comes in and asks ‘what’s going on in’... and I don’t know. I’m the councillor. I’m supposed to know these things. There’s been a breakdown somewhere.”
Sgt Hart said that police met with council and housing officers every week to discuss issues and he could report to councillors after the weekly meetings.
Lead council officer for the committee Marjory Mackie suggested emailing the councillors if there were specific issues such as changes to public transport.
Councillor Paul also raised the issue at a meeting of the Public and Community Safety Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel a few days later when senior officers including Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Cat Paton and local commander Chief Inspector Louise Brownlie were present.
He told the meeting: “On reducing violence and antisocial behaviour. There’s been some high profile incidents that have been happening in the Whitburn/ Blackburn area. I know that conservation between police and public is always looked on as something good.
"It would be ideal if the police would inform the councillors of any high profile incidents that happen within that ward. The councillors are approached and they know nothing about these high profile incidents. These conversations between the police and councillors need to take place.”
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