Keeping Kirkcaldy clean: From safer communities to street orderlies,t Fife Council's frontline staff

Joining a walkaround in Dysart with Fife Council’s Safer Communities Team I saw how, by working with other branches of the local authority, the team manages to keep the area a pleasant place for people to live, work and raise their families.

Members of the Safer Communities Team linked-up with Kirkcaldy East Councillor Ian Cameron, Susan Bellfield, chairman of Dysart Community Council, and officers from the housing team to address any issues in the area.

Aaron Campbell, safer communities officer said:

"We are always busy, but when we are not responding to jobs we have been issued, we patrol areas where there are hotspot problems, such as Ravenscraig Park and the Esplanade where dog fouling is quite bad, and engage with the public.

"We also patrol other hotspot areas where fly-tipping is common - certain back roads and recycling points across the town – while on other days we do walkarounds with other branches of the council to identify any problem areas before coming up with a plan to tackle them."

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/andys-man-club-joins-hallmark-to-launch-mental-health-themed-cards-for-young-men-3231862

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/health/coronavirus/pupils-at-ten-fife-schools-self-isolate-after-links-to-positive-covid-cases-3231797

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/happy-mondays-legend-bez-unveils-gig-in-kirkcaldy-bar-3231779

Aaron said the Safer Communities Team forms an important part of the council to ensure that the streets remain environmentally safe – and the public is appreciative of the work it carries out.

He said. “We rely so much on the information that they give us, and we try to keep them updated as much as possible.

"After someone has reported a problem, and we have dealt with the issue, I always get back in touch to let them know that we have sorted it.”

Scott Bernard is a street orderly whose beat is in the Linktown – he is responsible for ensuring that the area is kept litter free and the roads are swept.

He started with the council in 2008 working mainly in Templehall before moving to Linktown.

"I love my job – it’s absolutely great!” he said. “I like being able to talk to all of the people who live in the area.

"There’s one old lady who shouts ‘hello Willie’ to me everyday, I don’t correct her and tell her my name is Scott.

"I cover the Linktown from the Prom all the way up to Beveridge Park – it’s a never ending job, but it’s different everyday as I get to meet people from all walks of life on my beat.

"I’ve got a brilliant relationship with people in the community, everyone always stops to say hello, and the shopkeepers come out to give me a drink of juice.

"It makes my job a whole lot better knowing that everyone appreciates all of my hard work. It makes me look forward to come to my work in the morning.”

Scott’s boss, Peter Gilmour, area supervisor waste management, said: “You have to respect the guys for the work they do, especially with Scott as he has to do the school run at Balwearie which can be challenging.

"It can be a thankless task working as a street orderly as it is a never ending job - but all of our guys knuckle down and get the job done.”

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism