Information appeal after vandalism

I am one of the newlyappointed local problemsolving team sergeants, with responsibilities for ongoing issues for the towns and villages around the Larkhall and Lesmahagow areas.

This is a relatively new role and provides members of the public with a small number of local officers who can provide continuity for repeat issues.

The local problem-solving officers provide members of the public with a familiarity and accessibility to local officers.

The feedback from community groups, our partners in the public sector, and elected members has been favourable and we plan to continue with this in the future.

Police Scotland is striving to maintain and improve the service we are providing, and whilst there will always be a perception that we could do more, in my opinion we are accomplishing a great deal every day to the satisfaction of the public, who often take the time to thank us for the job we are doing.

Some examples of this from South Lanarkshire this week include charging several persons for a variety of alleged offences such as domestic assault, drug possession and drinkdriving.

Having spent the majority of my 20 years’ police service living and working in Lanarkshire, I remain totally committed to working hard to play my part in improving the quality of lives of its residents.

One of the areas I primarily cover is Larkhall and officers are looking for information in relation to acts of vandalism, particularly in the Hareleeshill area, which some residents feel may relate to being targeted for future break-ins to their properties. I would take this opportunity to remind everyone across Lanarkshire to keep their property secured at all times and to remain vigilant and to report anything unusual.

In recent weeks there have been reported incidents in Lesmahagow, particularly around the areas of the junior football ground, Milton and Abbeygreen, relating to youths causing minor disorder and consuming alcohol. The areas surrounding the football stadium are particularly dangerous if not following the traditional paths and routes, with the obvious dangers of the river and of the surrounding paths becoming slippy in the areas without street lighting. I would ask parents to discourage their children from congregating in these areas. We will have officers in these areas in the weekend to come.

In Blantyre, officers are seeking to trace a male who was wearing a grey hooded tracksuit in connection with an incident which took place on October 5, where a van was set on fire within Blantyre Industrial Estate.

During the evening of October 6, an incident occurred on Ballantrae Road, Blantyre, where a man allegedly assaulted a woman with a machetetype knife and a baseball bat.

The persons involved have all been traced and someone was arrested and charged. I would reassure local residents that this was an isolated incident.