Anti-social behaviour prompts police to step up patrols in Fife

disorder: Problem areas closely monitored after complaints

Uniformed police patrols are being stepped up throughout central Fife this weekend following an apparent spike in complaints about youth disorder.

Police Scotland said the move in Burntisland, Kinghorn, and the Chapel area of Kirkcaldy specifically aimed to show the public that officers had “zero tolerance” for anti-social behaviour which has blighted those areas of late.

Details of the exact number of reports received by the force have not been divulged, but it is understood there were nine calls about youths causing a nuisance in Burntisland alone in the space of just three hours on Wednesday night.

Police took to Twitter to condemn the culprits, saying such behaviour was “not acceptable” and “will not be tolerated”.

With that in mind, extra officers were deployed in the three known hotspots last night, with further patrols planned to deal with any issues there this evening.

Similar arrangements to monitor problem areas have also planned in other towns across the region this weekend, including Glenrothes’ Riverside Park and its surroundings.

The initiative forms part of the wider Operation Prevail, which has seen community officers visit schools across Fife in recent months urging young people to behave responsibility or not to put themselves at risk of harm.

Chief Inspector Irene Ralston, who is leading Operation Prevail, said: “We are committed to keeping Fife a safe place to live, work and visit and throughout the year have been working with our partners to tackle anti-social behaviour in all our towns and villages.

“We recognise that reports of these offences tend to rise at the end of school term and during the school holidays, and so working alongside our relevant partners we have a number of initiatives running to prevent these offences occurring.

“Let’s be clear, the vast majority of Fife’s young people are a credit to themselves, and only a small minority of individuals are responsible for the youth-related problems we see.”

Meanwhile, police have also pledged to support efforts to protect the 12th Century St Bridget’s Kirk in Dalgety Bay, which has also become a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

We are committed to keeping Fife a safe place to live, work and visit. CHIEF INSPECTOR IRENE RALSTON