Priorities For Policing In Shetland

[Davie P]

 

 

Well thought out (not).  Why?

Cynical? yes Sarcastic? No

 

Not sarcasm at all.  Just a bald statement and question.

 

 

Of course that's sarcasm. Textbook stuff in fact.

[shetlandpeat]

 

 

As you claimed, recently, that the Police have a duty(?) in respect of public safety, I would also be interested in hearing who would be deemed (at least partially) liable should a pedestrian be injured on his/her way to the meeting.

 

If a pedestrian gets run over by a vehicle on the way to the meeting it is the fault of the Police?

 

 

 

Do you honestly believe that the 'priorities for policing' are set by what 'the people' actually want?

 

 

 

Check out the post I made about consultation.

 

Not sarcasm at all.  Just a bald statement and question.

 

Hairy stuff!

 

It is a great idea to utilise the Fire and Rescue Station, it gives folks another opportunity to ask those questions they forgot last time. Though, no doubt you will claim that not enough folk take part and will blame the meeting place location. It is a sad reflection on communities if they cannot car share to save lives.

[unlinkedstudent]

Dear Angus,

 

Elsewhere on Shetlink there is a discussion regarding the rules of the highway and Pelican Crossings when the lights are not functioning.

 

Can you clarify the local police view about rights of way and whether when the lights are not working they become equivalent to a Zebra Crossing?

 

 

Did this ever get answered?

 

Afraid Sandwick is too far for me to get to and even if I did, not sure what time there's a bus back.  Didn't the Shetland Times also comment on the gobbledegook contained within aforementioned Plan?

 

What I suspect many of the public want to know:-

 

1.  If I require the assistance of either the Fire Brigade or the Police, will they have the resources to respond in line with national guidelines?

 

2.  How come the Ambulance Service ain't involved or do we now dial 99?

[admin]

Just a polite reminder to keep the tone civil and constructive folks.

[PoliceScotlandShetland]

Hi,

 

I'll answer a few points here and then add a further comment about the priorities so far, hopefully the discussion can then focus on the valid process of selecting issues / priorities as opposed to being distracted by side issues.

 

The recent Police & Fire Reform legislation requires that the police and fire consult with the local communities and are in turn held accountable through a new "local scrutiny & engagement" framework. In Shetland we have expanded that framework - called the Shetland Community Safety Board (SCSB) - to include any agency (public as well as the third sector) that contributes to the "safer & stronger" objective. For Shetland that means the Police, Fire, NHS, Ambulance, CoastGuard, Third Sector, SIC Community Safety, SEPA, SIC Emergency Planning, NHS, Criminal Justice Authority, etc - in short we are continuing to develop the group to include any relevant agency. If you can think of one I've not included then please let me know.

 

The members of the SCSB are all held accountable to 7 SIC elected representatives - one for each multi member ward.

 

Part of that legislation requires that the police and fire consult with the communities they serve as they develop their plans. For the first time in Shetland, this is being done jointly by the police and fire. If the process works with these two agencies, and it is appropriate, then next year we can look at including other agencies.

 

Each multi member ward has at least one fire station and given that it is the police / fire plan consultation process then that is where the meetings are being held. No matter where the meetings are held some people would have to travel further than others. (The North Isles ward will get more than one meeting - purely due to the geography / ferries, etc.)

 

As for liability - that rests with the road users, not the people organising an event that any person is travelling to.

 

This is the final phase of the consultation process. Previous phases include:

1. Community survey - minimum of 75 people per multi member ward

2. Written request for consultation to all community councils and over 100 other "community groups

3. Meeting with the SCSB elected representatives

4. The on-line discussions on Shetlink.

5. Police attendance at some community meetings.

 

This year's process will be reviewed in preparation for next year's process.

 

Angus

[PoliceScotlandShetland]

I do not "do" drugs and never have but I must admit that if I did the sight of a drugs dog on the linkspan at Holmsgarth greeting foot passengers coming off the ferry would make me think long and hard before carrying any with me on the ferry.

 

But on the other hand it is maybe not such a good advert for Shetland (maybe we do not need to worry if the tourists are already here) and as a pedestrian with militant tendencies I wonder if this discriminates against foot passengers or are cars and trucks checked in other ways?.

 

@JustMe,

 

Passengers and vehicles are checked as / when able. The majority of people welcome the dogs and given that the use of "drug dogs" is something we all regulary experience as we travel around the country / world.

 

Angus

[PoliceScotlandShetland]

Dear Angus,

 

Elsewhere on Shetlink there is a discussion regarding the rules of the highway and Pelican Crossings when the lights are not functioning.

 

Can you clarify the local police view about rights of way and whether when the lights are not working they become equivalent to a Zebra Crossing?

 

@ Who Knows,

 

Apologies for the delay in replying.

 

The "local police" view is the same as the national view / guidance which can be found on a variety of web sites, with the main one being:

 

https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/highway-code

 

Angus

[PoliceScotlandShetland]

The priorities that have been developed in the consultation process so far are:

 

1. Maintain Public Confidence & Local Engagement

2. Substance Misuse

3. Road Policing

4. Violence, Disorder & Anti-social Behaviour

5. Protecting People

6. Serious & Organised Crime

7. Emergency Planning & Resilience

 

These will be contained in the Local Police Plan for Shetland and as ever your comments would be appreciated.

 

Angus

[PoliceScotlandShetland]

This joint (police / fire) phase of the consultation process is looking at the multi member ward issues in particular and these meetings give each ward an opportunity to add issues or highlight particular points that are relevant to their particular area.

 

Examples include:

Shetland North - lighting on vehicles on the A970, speeding & manner of driving on A970 (Road Safety)

North Isles (Fetlar) - visits by the police to the local school (Community Engagement)

Lerwick North & South - drunk people in the town centre (substance misuse, violence, disorder & anti-social behaviour)

 

I would welcome your comments, please be sure to include the multi member ward you live in or feel the issue / priority applies to.

 

Angus

[JustMe]

In an earlier post I described myself as a "militant pedestrian" which means I get annoyed (or worse) by people driving on the street other than disabled drivers during the hours when it is meant to be pedestrian only.  In fact I will go a step further say that I think that any time the police have the resources to deal with this they could well check that disabled passes are not being misused.

 

Get even more irritated when a vehicle is parked on a pavement meaning pedestrians have to walk in the road to pass it.  Did have a look at this issue and I think it is not illegal outwith London.  Seems very strange to me if this is the case.

 

Now I turn to the infamous Clydesdale Bank bollards.  Maybe the council needs to get busy with the yellow paint but I am sure that people should not park in front of the bollards.  Am certain that they are designed to be collapsed for emergency access.  Of course they might still be ticketed by not having displayed a parking disc and parked in a mark bay within a disc zone.

[shetlandpeat]

Congratulations Angus on your promotion.

[Stevo]

I think I passed at least five trucks and busses today, all covered in lots of blue lights on the front. Why?

 

Angus,

 

What is the Law on displaying Blue Lights on vehicles other than emergency vehicles?

 

I think that you should do some form of education to these truck companies.

 

I witnessed 3 cars pull over to the side of the road as we all saw Blue lights coming around a bend, just to find out it was a truck, lit up like a christmas tree with blue LED lights.

[shetlandpeat]

Blue lights - Under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, it states "except for emergency vehicles it is an offence to fit a blue warning beacon or special warning lamp or device resembling such whether working or not"

 

Down to interpretation.

 

You may be able to address Green Lights though as green lights can only be fitted on Medical Practitioners vehicles.

 

I have also never seen an emergency Christmas Tree in any senario.

Edited February 5, 2014 by shetlandpeat

[PoliceScotlandShetland]

Blue lights - Under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations

 

​Ref blue / green lights on vehicles. Only Emergency vehicles can display blue lights and only medical vehicles can display green lights.

 

There are a number of vehicles on the roads in Shetland with blue lights - this is illegal and we will shortly begin to enforce this. The issue has been raised a number of times during the police plan consultation process and we've given people the opportunity to remove the blue lights. If they continue to be displayed / used further action will be taken (caution & char gem fixed penalty, reported, etc)

 

I trust this answers the question and we will be doing something about it.

 

Angus

[Ghostrider]

Well, so much for the "innocent until found guilty" principle, yet again.

 

 

The number of reported rape cases meanwhile dropped by almost 90 per cent from 18 in 2012/13 to two reports last year.

 

Chief inspector Graham said that in 2012/13 two individuals had committed a series of rapes, and both have now been reported to the courts.

 

http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/8841-crime-figure-drop-as-police-give-reassurance

 

*If* the individuals are indeed guilty they obviously should be called to account and dealt with appropriately, but as the Police appear to have already sat as judge and jury on them (or the Chief Inspector's comments have been reported dangerously out of context by the quoted media outlet), what chance do those charged have of a fair trial now that its already been announced to all and sundry that they did it.