Author: Barodunum

Unprecedented financial challenges are facing all public authorities and the police are not immune.  There is a continuing requirement to find savings while providing best value for public services.

So what will this mean for community based policing?

The Chief Constable has apparently commissioned a review of counter services provided by police stations to determine a) best opening times b) the range of services provided.

Thinking about this for no more than ten minutes, I didn’t realise that the police station even had “opening times” and that it ran like more a 24/7 public service (which others should emulate), for crime and police reportable incidents occur somewhat unpredictably and there is always a PC boiling up a brew on TV. What is the range of services they provide at counters? Surely 80% of the population or is that 90% has little to do with the police from one decade to the other and crime and its reporting is probably more predictable in this day and age of data.

Apparently there is a decrease in visitors at the public counters at police stations all over  Scotland.  So the question is how to design the best fit for an area? I’m not sure where to start, but some stats, costs and possible savings would be a good place to begin with!

Then we can be slightly more reassured that this will not impact on operational police resources deployed and that the public service is not being eroded.

Not long ago at a Community and Police Partnership meeting Peter Forsyth intimated that decriminalising parking offences was back on the agenda since Police Scotland had been set up. The rationale is not driven by the illogicality of parking being still a (quasi?) criminal offence, but by the opportunity to improve specialist policing and supporting local policing in local communities.  The announcement states that the new police service will be redesigned to meet current priorities and in light of a challenging budget to remain efficiently  structured:

With the transition to Police Scotland, it is imperative that we critically examine all our processes to ensure that we are making the best use of our resources to focus on keeping people safe.

Decode that and you get the ring of “efficiency savings” in your ears.

Continue reading Free Parking!

If you live on the High Street you may be interested to know that loading arrangements, bus stops, disabled spaces and waiting times are due to change.

Maybe you have already been consulted or have made your comments known through your local Councillor.

Even if you have done all the above already you might like to add your comments to this public wiki map.

If you do not live on the High Street, you may find that you are affected indirectly so feel free to highlight issues that affect you.

Add to the marker High Street Resident, Non High High Street Resident, Non Dunbar Resident.