Anti-social behaviour in Cowdenbeath

Over the last year there has been increased concern about anti-social behaviour in Cowdenbeath. My constituency office and I have had a significant amount of contact from concerned residents and local businesses. I am now running a survey to gather more information about the impact of the anti-social behaviour and would be grateful if you would please complete this.

Everyone deserves to feel safe in our community. The behaviour is clearly unacceptable and needs to be tackled. Whilst the vast majority of our young people are fantastic up and coming citizens, the culprits seem to be a small group of young people, some of whom are local, and some of whom come in from neighbouring areas to cause trouble. The starkest recent example was in the run-up to Halloween, which saw a police officer assaulted but more often it is other young people, local businesses and shopworkers, or residents just going about their business who are targeted.

Since I was elected as your MP, I have taken the following action on this issue:

• Met with the local Police leadership several times to urge action.
• Written twice to the Scottish Government, who oversee policing and communities.
• Cuts to police numbers in Fife have left the lowest numbers of police since 2008, with this creating a particular shortage in Cowdenbeath.
• Called for free bus passes to be removed from those who engage in criminal and/ or anti-social behaviour.
• Visited local youth clubs, who provide positive support to young people.
• Raised this matter in the House of Commons.

Last month I organised an Anti-social Behaviour Summit, kindly hosted by Shorty’s Social Club on the High Street. I brought together local business and community groups, including Cowdenbeath Community Council, to set out the impact of the situation. Also present were some of those with the power to tackle the causes, including local Police, Social Work, Beath High School and Fife Council’s Safer Communities team. Some clear actions were agreed, and we will meet again soon, to see what progress has been made.

1. A new Cowdenbeath Anti-social Behaviour Taskforce who will meet regularly to look at this issue in greater detail.

2. More special meetings between the police, social work, and Beath High School to discuss specific cases of antisocial behaviour in Cowdenbeath.

3. There will be an increase in local police engagement with local businesses in Cowdenbeath.

 

I am now running a survey to gather more information about the impact that anti-social behaviour is having on people in Cowdenbeath. I will use the results to help make the case for change, including for additional police resources.

If you see any anti-social behaviour in and around Cowdenbeath or elsewhere, it is important that you report it to Police Scotland by calling 101 or through the following online link (which is very quick to complete): www.scotland.police.uk/secureforms/contact/

In the meantime, if there are any comments or concerns about this issue or any others, you would like to raise with me as your MP, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by emailing melanie.ward.mp@parliament.uk or on 01592 590017.