Police chief makes first visit to Arran
Ayrshire police chief Faroque Hussain made a whistlestop visit to Arran on Monday to meet and thank some of those who have helped the island get through the lockdown weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Superintendent Hussain was making his first visit to Arran as chief, but had been to the island before as an Ayrshire resident.
He was accompanied throughout his visit by North Ayrshire commander, chief inspector Brian Shaw and Arran sergeant Dougie Robertson.
The chief inspector said: ‘I was really keen to come over to meet some of the people on the island who have been key in getting Arran through the months of the pandemic and to thank them for all their work.’
His first call was to meet port manager Colin McCort at Brodick ferry terminal, before travelling across the island to meet Alan McNicol, the outgoing team leader of the Arran Mountain Rescue Team, at his home in Blackwaterfoot, to thank him for his many years of service. He remains an active member of the team.
It was then on to the Arran Outdoor Centre in Lamlash, which has been the North Ayrshire Council co-ordination hub for volunteers and services during the pandemic. There he met manager Ian Staples, Councillor Ellen McMaster, chairperson of Arran locality partnership, and Darryl Urquhart-Dixon. They discussed various matters of island concern.
Lamlash police office was his next stop where he chatted with constables Sarah Jackson, Will Dove and Ewan McCurrach, the summer secondees, and special constable Andrew Perrie, who he thanked for his work during the lockdown.
Next stop was the coastguard station where he popped in to see Dave Graham of the HMCG, then it was round to meet the new mountain rescue team leader Ewan McKinnon. Ewan has recently stepped into the team leader post having previously been deputy team leader under Alan for six years. Ewan has been in the team for 14 years and his deputy is Martin Ross.
It has been a quiet time for the mountain rescue team during lockdown with just a handful of callouts. Ewan said it was good to meeting the new police commander but he added: ‘We have a really good relationship with the local police and we have no issues.’
Chief Superintendent Hussain, who took over his new post in March, has 20 years’ police service. From 2016 to 2018 he served in Ayrshire division as a superintendent. During this time he formed positive relationships with all three local authorities and understands the unique balance of policing between the urban, rural and island
communities of Ayrshire.
Following his time in Ayrshire he was seconded to the National Crime Agency in London and formed part of a national unit designed to support UK Law Enforcement.
In May 2019 he was promoted to Chief Superintendent, head of analysis, performance, demand and productivity.
Mr Hussain is a resident of Ayrshire and recognises the very unique and proud culture within the division, something that is replicated across the communities of Ayrshire. He is married with four children.
Sergeant Robertson said: ‘We were glad of the opportunity to welcome chief superintendent Hussain to Arran. We had a very productive and positive day meeting with some of our key partners to discuss local policing issues. Mr Hussain’s visit reinforced that although Arran is an island, it is very much part of the division and all the support that brings.’