Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Community Safety Team recently launched their revamped “Days of Action” in Stranraer.
The first Day of Action will be in Ward 1, Stranraer and the Rhins on Wednesday 2 August.
After spending some time consulting with elected members, community councils, voluntary groups, as well members of the public, each area has come up with a “wish list” that the Community Safety Team may be able assist with.
Top of the problems in the Stranraer area is the concern over dog fouling that blights our communities. This was closely followed by littering. Both of these offences can attract an £80 Fixed Penalty Notice if you’re caught in the act.
Around a dozen officers, more than half of the teams’ strength, will be in Stranraer and the Rhins on Wednesday 2 August. There will be display boards set up in various prominent locations, with officers on hand to educate and interact with members of the public, to allow all to work together to eliminate these antisocial practices.
Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership and Loreburn Housing, the two main Registered Social Landlords in the area are also helping out on the day.
Along with the Community Safety Team, children of many of their tenants are carrying out a litter survey to gauge how clean our areas are, and then litter pick the worst areas. There will also be fun and games with Y Play, and there may even be a guest appearance from a local Ice Cream van!
So if you are out and about on Wednesday in the Stranraer area, come along to speak with the team at one of the information points, or speak with a team member out on patrol and raise you concerns, and see what we can do help.
Communities Committee Chairman, Councillor Andy Ferguson and Vice Chairman, Councillor John Martin said ahead of the day;
“The Day of Action is all about having a high presence of officers in a specific Ward area. Our aim is to engage with as many members of the community as we can, focussing our work that day on what the public want us to deal with. That could be be tackling dog fouling and enforcing the legislation if required litter picking with the public and our partner agencies or educating by way of display boards and talking to the public.”
