Chief praises local police and volunteers during visit
The new Ayrshire police chief visited Arran on Monday on a familiarisation visit to meet his staff, partners and members of the volunteer emergency services.
Offering praise for the many local volunteer organisations, he also sought to understand the issues faced by the organisation with regards to policing on Arran.
Looking at issues such as operational demands, staffing, particularly during times of peak demand and summer secondments, Chief Superintendent Paul Main said: ‘Policing on Arran is bespoke and it works well. It is recognisable, visible and works closely with partners in the area. It is a model of the type of successful policing I would like to see across Ayrshire.’
Appreciation
The new Ayrshire local police commander met with representatives from the community council, HM Coastguard and the RNLI along with local police officers and he expressed an appreciation of the valuable work that the volunteer organisations undertake in partnership with Police Scotland. The visit coincided with the launch of public consultation across Scotland on a new long-term strategy to deliver policing throughout the country.
Chief Supt Main said: ‘I am very proud of the service that officers, staff, special constables and youth volunteers provide in Ayrshire and the strong partnerships we are part of.
‘Since I first walked a beat in Ayrshire as a new recruit things have changed. Hate crimes and domestic abuse were not priorities when I joined the job in the way they are now. As I look back over more than 20 years and see change in what the public expect from us it is inevitable the public will expect more change in the next five, 10 and 20 years.
‘The volume of contact we have from the public has changed as has the reasons they contact us. We should not be afraid to change too.
‘We must ensure we are a modern service, look to the future and deliver the services the public want and in a way that they need. It is suggested that you are more likely to be a victim of crime on line than in the ‘real’ world and the public need to be protected from these risks.
‘We should always deal with criminals who cause harm to communities and it is fantastic that violent crime in Ayrshire has never been lower. However only one in five of the calls the public make to us is about crime.
Noticeable
‘Since I returned to Ayrshire at the start of the year it is very noticeable how much time my teams spend searching for missing people, assisting people who may be vulnerable or isolated and require our help.
‘I hope people take the time to respond to the Policing 2026 consultation. I look forward to discussing Policing 2026 with people over the next 10 weeks and I am sure their views and opinions will be interesting.’
Consultations responses are invited until May 8 and can be submitted via https://consult.scotland.police.uk/consultation/2026/