LAYiNG Thanks for supporting our officers
We saw the successful delivery of the policing operation supporting COP26.
Officers from the division, including myself, participated in this operation, unprecedented in Scottish policing, over the last three weeks.
Colleagues remaining in division have continued to support our local communities with minimal disruption to services provided.
All officers and staff played their part and the effective and successful Police Scotland response to COP26 and daily policing has rightly been recognised, nationally and internationally.
In terms of highlights in Renfrewshire since my last update I have been pleased to see the continued dedication to public service by officers in K Division and some really excellent results.
I have also seen some concerning incidents which, unfortunately, impact on communities here and some which could have ended in quite tragic circumstances without the efforts of the public, police officers and partners from ambulance and health services.
We also provided a policing response to Bonfire night with support provided to
Scottish Fire and Rescue who performed a marvellous job as usual both on the night and in the days and weeks surrounding November 5.
We continue to tackle violence across the area. On November 4, police received a call from ambulance control regarding a man in George Street, Paisley, stating he had been stabbed. He had sustained several lacerations to his head.
We are continuing enquiries into this incident and any information you may have would greatly assist the enquiry team. We attended a number of violent incidents last weekend into the start of this week.
On November 12 we responded to a male stabbed in the Ferguslie area and another separate incident of a male stabbed in Brookfield with a male arrested and knife recovered.
On November 14 we dealt with a male assaulted with a bottle in Douglas Street and a positive line of enquiry being followed.
On November 15 an off duty officer encountered a male who threatened him with a hammer. On duty colleagues attended and the male was arrested, being found also with a dog chain he threatened to use as a weapon.
We have also responded to reports of bogus workers in the area.
We are following a specific line of enquiry however would urge anyone with suspicions to follow advice and report any suspicions to us.
Remember, these criminals will target any opportunity.
Please do not feel embarrassed or feel reluctant to contact us- we can, and will, help you.
We have also responded to wilful fireraisings – these have been directed at derelict properties, bins, and building sites.
This causes nuisance to occupiers and the public but most importantly it is extremely dangerous.
We are following up enquiries on these but again if you have any information or concerns, please just get in touch.
We have also attended several reports of hate crimes in the area. These are sporadic and not connected.
I know that this is an area of criminality which is extremely under-reported and I am keen to encourage reporting.
We have made a number of arrests into these and enquiries ongoing into others.
There is no place for hate and we operate a zero tolerance approach to this type of crime. We will listen and support is available.
Please don’t tolerate it, you can report through the usual routes, or via a dedicated third party reporting system and a specific online form- for more information please search for Hate crime - Police Scotland.
We attended a break-in to a building site portacabin Renfrew on November 11 with one male apprehended by officers covered in mud nearby- a great capture and undoubtedly prevented further crimes.
Officers from our national Roads Policing Division attended two sneak-in thefts in Renfrew on 14 November with one male apprehended.
All stolen property was recovered and returned to owners.
Another excellent piece of work while a cautionary tale about ensuring we lock our doors, particularly as we move into darker nights and towards the festive season.
Finally, on November 15, officers responded to a call about travelling criminals stealing drums of commercial cooking oil from restaurant premises.
On their arrival the officers, using their ‘slick’ detective skills identified a van parked up leaking vegetable oil from the rear doors.
This led to the apprehension of three males and recovery of significant quantities of cooking oil from various locations.
Great work again and shows that even determined criminals will not ‘slip’ through the net.
I will close with thanks to the public for your support to our officers.
If you have any concerns or wish to provide any information regarding these incidents or, in general, to help us keep you safe you can contact us by calling 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.