We need action...it’s like the Wild West out there
Concerns ahead of re-opening
A Stirling business owner is calling on police to clamp down on antisocial behaviour in the city centre ahead of the big reopening next week.
Ewen Duncan, who runs the Europa Music store in Friars Street, says continued problems with groups of youths and drug issues in the streets have been worsened by the impact of the pandemic.
He now believes tougher action needs to be taken and has labelled the city’s streets as resembling the ‘Wild West’.
Mr Duncan told the Observer: “It’s as if a lot of these people feel as if they own the streets and that they feel untouchable to do whatever they want.
“There are people wandering about exchanging packages openly and we’ve got teenagers going around creating merry hell before moving elsewhere such as Kings Park or the Top of the Town.
“There are people just sitting about openly drinking in the middle of the town; if we did that, we’d be huckled but they just get their drink taken off them and put in a bin.
“The problem has likely been other shop owners and people who live in the streets - the group living in the block of flats next to us are scared to go in and out because they’re worried about who they will meet at the bottom of the stairs.
“If you take a wander down into the town from late morning to past teatime, you can see people hanging about this area and they are putting people off visiting shops because they are being loud and drunk.
“The issues have been raised with the police many times over the last six years or so but it’s time something was really done about it.
“I want these streets to be welcomed for customers and tourists alike who are expecting to come to a lovely, historic town and are instead being confronted by these people who are openly breaking the law.
“I’d like to see the police do what they did a few years ago and create an exclusion zone where they told people to go back home and if they were seen in town then they would be arrested, that seemed to work and it really cut down on a lot of the kids as well.”
In response, Stirling police Inspector Lynsey Kidd said: “The local community policing team at Stirling is aware of the hotspot areas in the city centre where antisocial behaviour (ASB) and drug-related issues are prevalent.
“Regular patrols are carried out in these areas by officers and where appropriate, enforcement action is taken.
“Whilst I acknowledge the community concern in relation to Friars Street, the calls to local police aren’t reflective of this and as such, no identifiable pattern has been established that would merit an increase in resource in this area.
“I would therefore like to take this opportunity to ask for the support of the public in contacting police on 101 at the material time if they witness suspicious activity happening in this street, or the wider city centre.
“At present there is no evidenced pattern that would meet the required threshold for the introduction of an exclusion zone.
“The re-opening of retail and hospitality will undoubtedly see an increased footfall in the city centre from Monday.
“The local policing team at Stirling are fully prepared and have well established plans along with our partners to effectively police the city centre as restrictions ease.”
It’s as if a lot of these people feel as if they own the streets and that they feel untouchable Ewen Duncan