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the towns Peterhead town centre
Scotland’s cities have enjoyed some success in making their centres safer. Can the lessons they’ve learned help smal er towns solve their problems? Mike Lloyd reports
They cal it ‘straddling’. Swapping passengers as two cars keep abreast, that predominate. So, can the lessons learned during the Safe City Centres hurtling along at 100 miles an hour.
Initiative real y be applied in such a different culture? The narrow A-road between Fraserburgh and Peterhead in The initiative was launched in 2003 with the aim of tackling business Aberdeenshire is the venue for this deadly sport, which has claimed several crime by introducing measures such as safer parking facilities, a better local youngsters as victims.
radio link system for shops and closer partnerships between the police, It may not be the sort of crime that the Scottish Executive had in mind local authorities and the business community.
when it extended the Safe City Centres Initiative to selected Scottish towns The Scottish Executive says it has resulted in a fal in violence, last June. But bored youngsters behaving badly are a significant problem intimidation and anti-social behaviour against shopworkers and along Scotland’s north east coast.
customers in cities such as Aberdeen, Glasgow and Stirling. ‘Basical y there’s nothing here for the young ones to do,’ says Roy Bishop, According to Tom McDougal , Scotland’s national co-ordinator for the chair of the Catto Tenants’ & Residents’ Association in Peterhead. ‘Even the Safe Towns Initiative, there is plenty to learn from the cities.
swimming pool was shut over the summer holidays for refurbishment.’ ‘One of the most important factors has been the exchange of ideas,’ Nevertheless, Aberdeenshire has a reputation for ‘couthiness’, a cosy Mr McDougal explains. ‘Before we had a situation where cities would rusticality that is a far cry from the hard, edgy feel of Scotland’s big cities. jealously guard their ideas for crime reduction – now they are learning to Organised criminality exists here as everywhere but it is the nuisance share them and everyone is benefiting.’ crimes of drinking in public, loutish behaviour, shoplifting and car racing ➔ Continued on page 43
16 September 2005 Inside Housing 41
Young people in Fraserburgh
The executive envisages the towns introducing measures such as op is control ed by tenants, it is very keen on the new initiative.
CCTV, radio links, photograph and information sharing, and exclusion ‘With our tenants, the quality of their environment is as important as orders. Peterhead and Fraserburgh were chosen from hundreds of the quality of their housing,’ he says. ‘The scheme does give access to pul ing together likely candidates, partly on the basis that they are already trialing other expertise and we see it as a very welcome development.’ and we are trying initiatives such as community wardens to patrol their estates. Safety issues are taken into account when planning new homes, such Kate Rigby, Aberdeenshire Council’s community safety officer, says as at a scheme in Fraserburgh High Street. ‘It was said we would have to make sure that although the issues may differ in the towns, the need to tackle them is just problems with people coming out of the clubs,’ he explains. ‘But we went ahead because we were confident we had assessed the situation.’ ‘We do have problems – fraud, shoplifting and even mugging – so we Mr Murray stresses that, as elsewhere, it isn’t just crime but fear of crime can’t be complacent,’ she insists.
that is significant. ‘There’s always a balance between the fear and the One major difference from the Safe City Centres Initiative is that there is reality but we’ve got to tackle the fear,’ he says.
no cash on the table for the town safety pilots. That compares with more Peterhead community manager Arthur Gil agrees that one of the than £1 mil ion set aside for cities projects.
greatest benefits of the new initiative wil be to change public perceptions Tom McDougal says that this isn’t a problem. ‘There is money available of crime problems. But he is also keen to stress the partnership element of to towns through community safety funding, there is a pot and it is just a has an interest in question of getting access to it.’ ‘Everybody is pul ing together and we are trying to make sure that Mr McDougal sees himself as a resource in kind, supporting not just al those who can help – including housing – have a part to play in this. the pilot towns, though they get priority, but any Scottish smal town that Everyone has an interest in making this work.’ needs advice. ‘If I need to stay on a couple of hours in the evening to help And Tom McDougal says the emphasis on community working brings out a town that isn’t in the scheme, then that’s what I wil do,’ he says.
‘There is the example of a guy who col apsed in the street outside a shop,’ he says. ‘The store used its radio link to contact the emergency Among the initial proposals for Peterhead and Fraserburgh are an anti- services for help. These links aren’t just there to catch shoplifters, they can litter campaign and a plan to create safer car parks. They may appear to be one-off projects but Kate Rigby says it is al part of an integrated approach Mr McDougal says the project is about building better communities and in which housing has an important place.
that objective ties in with another agenda – regeneration. ‘We want to ‘We have done a wide consultation on our anti-social behaviour ensure the quality of life is improved.
strategy and we recognise that people want to feel safe in and around ‘It makes common sense from an economic development point of view; their own homes,’ she says. ‘In general people do feel safe but there are it fits into community planning and regeneration policy. It is the image of a obviously pockets where people feel less safe than others.’ Brian Watson, Aberdeenshire Council’s housing manager for And Kate Rigby argues that view ties in with Aberdeenshire Council’s Peterhead, agrees that the ‘couthy’ image of Scottish country towns, as own plans to regenerate areas, for instance with hard-to-let properties.
havens of peace and tranquil ity, doesn’t always match reality.
‘Partnership working is a major factor here. It is moving from strength to ‘We have a high proportion of communal flats and there are pockets of strength. Everyone realises how beneficial it is.’ problems of perceived anti-social behaviour and activities of interest to the But Catto Tenants’ & Residents’Association secretary Roy Bishop sounds a note of caution. He says the emphasis must not only be on preventing Another indication that serious issues lurk here is the establishment crime; the authorities need to think about providing things for youngsters of community wardens under a Scottish Executive-funded scheme. ‘They to do. The council recently revamped a sports centre and swimming pool, have a high visibility presence and it is very reassuring to our tenants,’ Mr which he welcomes, but he says other, smal er projects need to be given a Housing co-operative Tenants First has a significant number of ‘We have been trying for more than two years to get a swing park and properties in both towns. Chief executive Sandy Murray says that as the co- play area put in,’ he says. ‘We are stil waiting.’ 16 September 2005 Inside Housing 43

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