LAYINGTHE DOWN LAW Speeding puts lives at risk
WITH DIVISIONAL COMMANDER CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT DAVID DUNCAN
Speeding issues continue to be a regular complaint throughout the division.
Although considered by some to be a minor offence, the consequences can have serious repercussions to members of the public and fellow road users.
Over the past few weeks the Road Policing Division have been carrying out regular speed checks in known hot spot areas within Bishopton, Johnstone and Paisley to detect offenders and influence driver behaviour.
A number of vehicle users have been warned about the manner of their driving.
Unfortunately though, proactive patrols such as this cannot prevent every incident occurring on the road.
One such offence happened on Tuesday, April 20, when a 50 year old male cyclist was seriously injured after taking evasive action to avoid being struck by a moving vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle was allegedly under the influence of drugs while behind the wheel and will appear at court in due course.
I’d also like to highlight a few incidents, the first offence happened at 7.45pm on Friday, April 16, when a 32-year-old male delivery driver observed a group damaging his parked vehicle in Hillside Road, Paisley.
On confronting the group the victim was subjected to a torrent of racial abuse before retreating into the safety of his vehicle.
However, the suspects continued their attack and attempted to punch the victim through an open window.
A second such offence occurred at 10pm on Saturday, April 17 when a 46-year-old male taxi driver was assaulted after a road rage incident occurred in Wilson Street, Renfrew.
The victim was approached by the male suspect who was driving a white Ford Fiesta.
The suspect male became irate and punched the victim to the body.
On both occasions the victims were left shaken but thankfully were uninjured after their ordeal.
On a similar note we are investigating a particularly nasty hate related crime involving a 57-year-old man from the Spateston area of Johnstone.
The resident has restricted mobility and walks with the assistance of walking aids.
It is alleged that the victim was subjected to both verbal and physical assaults over a number of days by a group of youths as he walked to nearby shops.
The youths are described as aged between 10 and 15 years old with one having red or blond hair, wearing red jogging bottoms.
I find it unfathomable that any person is subjected to this type of abuse, never mind a vulnerable member of our community.
We are carrying out intensive enquires and I would like to ask anyone with information in relation to these incidents to contact Police Scotland on 101 or if they wish to remain anonymous to contact Crimestoppers on telephone number 0800 555 111.
As you may have seen in the local media we have again noted a rise in the theft of motor vehicles.
It is unclear at this time what method is being used to overcome security of the vehicles so I’d like to advise residents to ensure all security measures are in place to prevent such a theft.
A good old fashioned crooklock is often the best way to deter would be thieves.
We continue to work hard to tackle drug supply and criminality proactively and have made a number of significant arrests over the course of the past week.
On Friday, April 16 officers from the Divisional Violence Reduction unit located a large cannabis cultivation in Crookhill Gardens, Lochwinoch.
The discovery resulted in the arrest of four males who were charged in connection with various drug offences.
On Monday, April 19, the actions of an eagle eyed operator from Renfrewshire Council’s CCTV unit ensured the arrest of a 35 year old male suspect.
The operator observed the male acting suspiciously in Smithhill Street, Paisley and immediately notified officers who were quickly on the scene. The suspect male was found to be in possession of suspected stolen property and was arrested and charged.
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