No disorder at funfair this year

Stirling area commander Lynn Ratcliff on the days the fair came to town and a human trafficking initiative

We’ve had a busy few days in Stirling Area Command with a number of events and initiatives taking place over the last few days.

As you will be aware from last week’s newspaper, the funfair at Forthside opened for business last Wednesday and because of issues with vandalism and disorder at last year’s event, Police Scotland objected to the funfair setting up at this particular location.

I am pleased to say however that there were no significant disorder issues this year but unfortunately, there was some damage caused to a local business which had a window and lighting damaged. We are currently investigating this matter which has marred an otherwise successful event.

In policing the funfair, the Ward Officers from Stirling Community Policing Team were assisted by colleagues from the Licensing and Violence Reduction Division (LVRD) based in Glasgow. One Sergeant and seven Constables from the LVRD were based in Stirling for the duration of the funfair and carried out plain clothes patrols in an around the event and within the city centre.

Over that period, eight Recorded Police Warnings were issued for possession of drugs and drinking in the street, and a further 14 persons reported for a variety of offences including drug offences and attempting to pervert the course of justice. We also received support from the Enforcement Officers at Stirling Council and CCTV provided valuable information and evidence in relation to some of the incidents highlighted above. I am also grateful for the co-operation and assistance received from the organiser of the event who put additional stewarding and fencing in place in an effort to minimise any disruption to the local community.

Last Wednesday, officers from Road Policing, along with colleagues from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) departments carried out a road check at Craigforth in Stirling. Almost 100 vehicles were stopped and as a result, 37 Construction and Use offences were detected and three fixed penalty notices were issued for MOT offences. Officers from HMRC (Fuel Testing) carried out dipping checks to the fuel in 36 vehicles and no offences were detected.

Finally, as I type this article, local officers have been joined by 14 additional officers from various specialist departments across Police Scotland who are participating in a Local Day of Action in Stirling.

In conjunction with National Anti-slavery day on Tuesday, Police Scotland are carrying out a force wide day of awareness raising, preventative measures and enforcement action in relation to Human Trafficking. This is an abhorrent crime targeting vulnerable individuals and treating them as a commodity with which to trade.

Human Trafficking is sadly happening in communities across Scotland and can involve people who are residing legally in the country. It can happen anywhere and typically can involve sexual exploitation, forced labour or domestic servitude. Further information on the possible signs of human trafficking is available at your local police office or via the Police Scotland website.