Plan ahead in bad weather
Stirling Area Commander, Chief Inspector Lynn Ratcliff, looks ahead to the events planned in Stirling area for the coming 12 months.
As we enter into 2017, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind you of the key issues your local Police Scotland team will be tackling in the next few months.
The top five local priorities identified by you through the Your View Counts Survey’ are: antisocial behaviour and disorder; house break-ins; dealing and misusing drugs; violent crime, and child abuse including child sexual exploitation.
In Wednesday’s Observer, an article about officers from the Stirling community policing team outlined some of the outstanding work done to tackle drug dealing and drug misuse, with tens of thousands of pounds worth of drugs and cash seized over the last few weeks.
Be assured that we will continue with this disruptive activity in the coming months to reduce the impact of drugs on our communities and bring to justice those involved in dealing in controlled substances.
It’s my intention to give you updates on all these priorities as we go through the year and next week, I will be outlining some of the excellent results and outcomes of the Our Stirling partnership which ran over the festive period.
We will also be working with Stirling Council and other partners on plans for the huge number of events that take place in Stirlingshire throughout the year.
The next 12 months will again see the usual mix of football and rugby matches at Forthbank and Bridgehaugh plus festivals, events and Highland Games throughout the summer.
This year Stirling will host the first marathon of the 2017 Great Run British Marathon series. It will take place on May 21 and feature a route which starts at Blair Drummond Safari Park, then travels through Doune and Bridge of Allan before finishing at Stirling Castle.
An event of this scale takes a great deal of organisation and planning and Police Scotland is already involved in discussions while Stirling area officers will be working on the day to assist in the smooth running (pardon the pun).
This week has seen some of the worst weather of the winter and I would urge anyone who has not already done so to make sure their car is prepared for journeys in difficult road and weather conditions. There is plenty of advice through both the Police Scotland and Transport Scotland websites.
Plan ahead. Check the forecast, road conditions and consider alternative routes. Allow extra time for your journey and check your planned route is free from delays. Check your tyres and windscreen wipers and make sure they meet the legal requirements and are working properly.
Make sure your vehicle is properly demisted and clear of snow and ice before you drive. Low sun can make it difficult to see and a dirty, greasy or damaged windscreen can make this worse. Bad weather is often blamed for causing accidents, but the real cause is inappropriate driving for the conditions that exist.