Wick anti-social behaviour concerns raised with Caithness police inspector

Community leaders have taken police to task for their response times to reports of vandalism in the far north.

They are also unhappy about being kept in the dark about the outcome of investigations into high-profile outbreaks such as the trashing of fittings in the recently refurbished public toilets at Wick’s Whitechapel Road on December 23.

The town has been a recent vandalism hot-spot, with police having mobilised extra foot patrols to target would-be perpetrators.

Concern that the trail can often have gone cold before officers respond to reports surfaced at last week’s meeting in Wick of the Association of Caithness Community Councils.

Present was Wick-based Inspector Kay Macrae, who said there has been a spike in anti-social behaviour in Caithness over the last couple of months.

Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council member Wendy Campbell asked her: “There’s been a lot of vandalisms in Wick involving teenagers. What are police doing to help counter this?”

Insp Macrae said they have deployed extra resources including additional foot patrols in the town.

Ms Campbell said: “They are destroying things we’re trying to do. A lot of people have reported it but some are frightened to do so as the kids can find out – I don’t know how they know – and it’s not very nice for them.”

Insp Macrae said individuals can report incidents anonymously on the Crimestoppers line if they are concerned about giving their names.

Caithness West Community Council representative Nicky Herd said many find phoning 101 to report an incident to a call handler at a police control centre very frustrating and time-consuming.

“Often they don’t know where you are and they have to Google map it,” she said.

“It would be nice to see a police officer soon after you call,” she said. “It just seems we don’t have many officers in Caithness now.”

Ms Herd added: “I know what happens here is nothing like what goes on in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Aberdeen but it means something to us. Can we not directly contact the police as a community council without having to go through 101?”

Wick Highland Councillor Jan McEwan agreed: “By the time the police turn up, they (the offenders) have all gone, they have all scattered.”

Insp Macrae said the Caithness force is operating at full complement though she did not divulge how many are in post. “We’re fully staffed now though it has been a long time coming.”

She added that 101 is the prescribed route to report non-emergency crimes.

The inspector, who took up her post in May last year, said she is keen to establish good communications with community councils.

She said the force is working with local agencies and organisations on a number of school and community initiatives to help divert young people at risk of getting involved in ant-social behaviour. Police also intend to give the issue a higher profile in its social media.

Updating on police activity over the past six weeks, Insp Macrae said they have been receiving a high volume of calls about anti-social behaviour and wilful fire-raising.

Association secretary Norma Craven was keen that local people learn of the outcome of police probes into high-profile vandalisms like the one on the Wick toilets, which came six months after the facility had undergone a £400,000 refurbishment following a previous attack.

“We all would like to know where the process is: is it still live?; whether the Children’s Panel is dealing with it?; is something happening?”

Highland Councillor Raymond Bremner said potentially crucial evidence was available about the toilet vandalism from CCTV cameras, which were installed as part of the revamp.

“There were images that were as clear as day that were passed from council officers to Police Scotland. You could clearly see who the suspects were.”

Councillor Bremner agreed that it is important that the community council and the public learn the outcome of the police investigation.

Angus MacInnes, who chairs Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council, pointed out that police are responsible for investigating crime but the decision on what, if any, proceedings are taken, rests with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

“Police can only report on their investigation, they can’t decide what happens,” said Mr MacInnes, a retired Caithness police inspector.