Driving down car crime on Glenrothes roads

Figures for the period between April and October 2015 covering the Glenrothes area saw a massive increase in detections of 227 per cent against the same period in 2014.

Some 85 motorists were convicted of speeding offences with a further nine cases of dangerous driving and 16 seat belt and use of mobile phone crimes also detected.

The jump in figures is down to officers making road safety and road crime as one of their main priorities along with anti-social behaviour and and crime resulting from alcohol and drug misuse.

In an operational briefing report presented to the town’s area committee, chief inspector Steven Hamilton said officers were working closely with the local authority to positively influence driver behaviour in an effort to reduce road casualties.

“We have deployed our resources, including roads policing specialists, to areas affected by anti-social driving and identified locations where speeding and illegal parking is a concern,” he added.

“We continue to use an intelligence led approach to the reduction of road casualties by targeting speeding motorists, uninsured and disqualified drivers, drink and or drug driving those not wearing seatbelts and individuals who use mobile phones while driving.”

He also highlighted the ongoing Operation Park Safe initiative which has seen coordinated patrols outside a number of local schools in a bid to tackle anti-social driver behaviour a peak times.

In a wide-ranging report, statistics revealed there had been no increase in group one crimes of violence (including murder, culpable homicide, serious assault and robbery) with 413 crimes investigated for the period against 412 for the same period in 2014.

Detection rates for common assaults increased by more than five per cent to 95.8 percent, but there was also a fall of nearly ten per cent to 76.9 per cent for detections of serious assaults.

People caught either dealing, producing or cultivating drugs rose significantly by just over 40 per cent for the period.

“We have listened to the information from the community and obtained and executed a number of drug search warrants,” said CI Hamilton

““That helped us to detect those involved in the cultivation and supply of controlled drugs, which has resulted in a substantial quantities of drugs being recovered.

Of the main crime groups detection rates in Glenrothes make it one of the best performing areas in Scotland.”

With the town suffering at the hands of a recent spate of house break ins in the last 12 months, the public will be heartened to learn that the detection rate for thefts by housebreaking (including attempts) also increased by 37 per cent.