Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Police take action over city stairwell
POLICE have taken “immediate action” in a bid to prevent antisocial behaviour at a Dundee housing block.
It comes after emergency meetings were set up following complaints from disgusted tenants at Aimer Square in Lochee who raised concerns that they were coming home to find blood and faeces splattered on their doorsteps.
The tenants had hung protest banners in a bid to highlight the issue and are calling on Dundee City Council to help put in extra security.
Today, it was revealed police have taken action to try to curb the antisocial behaviour — and that other agencies will meet again to discuss future plans.
Lochee Councillor Charlie Malone chaired two meetings, which were hailed as “very positive”.
He said: “We had a number of bodies represented, from the police, the antisocial team, wardens, council representation.
“Everyone is working together to tackle the widely publicised issues in Lochee at the moment.
“We discussed the issues at Aimer Square, particularly the bottom half of the block being used as a toilet and the issues with drug paraphernalia.
“There is no underestimation at the scale of the problems that are being faced in Lochee at the moment.
“This was a great opportunity for councillors, residents and members of Save Our High Street to come together face to face to discuss these problems.
“The residents conducted themselves brilliantly and voiced their concerns with dignity.
“It was certainly very positive from our perspective and the feedback I’m getting from residents is that they thought the talks were productive.
“I know that police have already taken some immediate action on how to help the residents after the briefing.
“I will be speaking to councillors this week regarding the matters discussed.”
Save Our High Street — a group that campaigns to rebuild and fight for proper investment in the community — had erected banners in a bid to raise awareness of the residents’ plight.
The banners read: “Aimer Square bursting for secure entry” — which references the fact that people have been using the close as a toilet.
Another read: “Respect us! We live here!” Myles McCallum, of Save Our High Street, said that the banners had been well received by the public, with people commenting to him and others involved in the group.
He said: “This is about making sure the residents there don’t need to deal with this kind of thing.
“It’s horrible for them, this has been an issue for the last four years at least. Why should people need to live like that?” Ourvoice PAGE 16