There’s a proud heritage to policing in Lanarkshire ... we need to listen to the concerns of locals so that it is truly the best place to live, work or visit
Top cop in the county is delighted to take on new role and vows to carry on keeping public and his officers safe
Lanarkshire’s new top cop is immensely proud of the 1400 officers for whom he’s responsible on this, the second busiest policing patch in Scotland.
But divisional commander Stevie Dolan is also crystal clear.
Incidents like a recent evening, in which one of his female officers was allegedly punched repeatedly in the face after stopping a stolen car in East Kilbride, are totally unacceptable.
“The officer was brave. She persisted and ensured that the 27-year-old man was arrested. She had bruising about the head, had to visit hospital, and remained off duty the next day,” explained Chief Supt Dolan.
“I am not going to accept members of the public assaulting police officers, and I would ask members of the public to support us on that.”
Chief Supt Dolan revealed that this year, there were 487 reported assaults on frontline, emergency workers in Lanarkshire.
That might be a 5.8 per cent drop on last year’s incident rate.
But, insists the new divisional commander who took the hot seat at Motherwell Police Office in September, it’s 487 too many.
He said: “Every one of these assaults is on a human trying to deliver a service to the public – and they, too, have a family.”
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor, who has been leading Police Scotland’s drive to reduce the impact violence and abuse has on officers and staff, and introduce measures to improve their safety, summarised the force’s zero tolerance approach by adding: “Being the victim of an assault can have a longlasting impact, both physically and mentally. It’s not simply part of the job.”
The officer who was allegedly assaulted last Monday was out on patrol in Lanarkshire, actively looking for vehicles that were being used in acts of criminality. In another incident that same evening, a second car was stopped. Although not stolen, officers found evidence it was being used to perpetrate other crimes.
Tackling car crime and theft is just one of the priorities of Chief Supt Dolan – an officer with 30 years’ experience, who arrives in Lanarkshire from Police Scotland’s Tulliallan headquarters where he worked for two years in a specialist division that deals with online crime.
“One of the concerns that we have, and I have, is in relation to the number of people dying through drug abuse,” he told us in his first interview since taking up his new post.
“There are far too many families losing a loved one in Lanarkshire to drugs, and every one death from overdose is a tragedy.
“We need to do our best with the community and partners to reduce that.”
Acting on information received from the public, Lanarkshire police put in place a covert operation over several months which resulted in 13 houses being searched in the Hamilton area, and numerous arrests.
Chief Supt Dolan continued: “A lot of the work we do in Lanarkshire is about keeping children and families safe.
“One of the policing challenges we have is an increase in sexual offending in relation to the sharing of indecent images, including by young people.
“Unlike police officers patrolling the streets, a lot of the work we do with councils and other agencies to protect children and young people is not visible to the public.
“It is challenging work for our officers, but they feel passionate about protecting children and young people and it is something we have to put a lot of time and resources towards. What we are seeing is young people, including people at school, taking images of their own body and sharing that.
“It is then being shared more widely than they initially intended and that is causing them some difficulties.”
Last week saw the launch of ‘Is That Me?’ – Police Scotland’s latest domestic abuse campaign which targets young men, aged 18 to 25, and highlights behaviours in new relationships that are abusive and might be indicative of future, escalating abuse.
It asks men to reflect on how they behave. And, if they see their own behaviour in the campaign, to take a hard look at themselves and seek help through a dedicated website.
The campaign’s hard-hitting new ad is being shown throughout the festive period across a range of social media channels, including, for the first time, Tinder.
“We’re trying to encourage young men to recognise that they should not use controlling behaviour within a relationship – and doing so is abuse,” said Chief Supt Dolan.
“That might not involve violence, or leave bruises, and it might not be known to other family members, but that behaviour, and denying a female partner access to friends and their social life, to their own money or technology, has a real impact on people.
“Our campaign seeks to encourage men to act responsibly. It also encourages family members and others not to be observers, but to intervene and act appropriately.”
Also being promoted throughout the festive season by Police Scotland is the responsible use of alcohol, planning your journey home before embarking on a night out and looking out for friends.
“Do not leave it to chance how you are going to get home,” said Lanarkshire’s divisional commander.
“If you are going to celebrate by having
a drink, please do so responsibly. All year round, we look for drink drivers. During the festive period, we recognise people might be tempted. “My message is, if you are going to drink, leave the car at home and find another mode of transport.
“Do not put your life at risk, or anyone else’s life at risk. It’s just not worth it.” In the Lanarkshire division, Chief Supt Dolan revealed, police are now using swab tests.
If an officer suspects a motorist is under the influence of drugs, they can request a sample of saliva for testing. “My mission is to reduce the number of serious collisions on the roads in Lanarkshire,” he stated.
“My concern as divisional commander is we are seeing too many people, particularly young people, thinking it is acceptable to drive having used drugs.”
He is also appealing to householders to protect their homes during the festive period, by leaving on a light and security alarm, and alerting neighbours if they plan to be away for a few days. Ahead of the April launch of the new police plan – which will outline the priorities of Lanarkshire’s police for the next three years and is based on feedback from the public and professional assessments on which areas most affect communities – Chief Supt Dolan added: “As divisional commander, I think there is a really proud heritage to policing in Lanarkshire and I am delighted with the quality of police serving communities.
“My view is that Police Scotland need to be part of the community and we need to listen to what local people are concerned about so we can address their views and ideas and so that Lanarkshire is truly the best place to live, work or visit.”