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| Dundee - Local Initiatives |
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The Dundee Co-ordinated Anticrime Network (DUNCAN) was set up in 2003 to make Dundee City Centre a safe and secure environment where people can live, work and socialise without fear of becoming a victim of crime. The scheme has grown over the years to over 200 members, including retailers and pubs and clubs, covering daytime and evening economy. Members also have the opportunity to join RADIO LINK, which allows members to contact each other in real time, to highlight issued of concern, and request immediate assistance when necessary. 
Tayside Police works with DUNCAN on a daily basis, and the scheme has support from Dundee City Council, Dundee City Centre Action Group, the BEACON Management Committee and the Dundee Community Safety Partnership. www.dundeecity.gov.uk/duncan LITTLE AND LOST 
DUNCAN's Little and Lost scheme has been running for several years, but in 2008 it joined the nationally recognised Child Safe Scheme to
ensure the safety of Dundee's kids.
Child Safe, is a simple but effective national scheme for reuniting lost children with their parents. The scheme works with the use of wristbands issued to children and details taken of contact numbers for parents/guardians. Retail premises wishing to take part in the scheme are issued with window stickers that are bright/colourful and attractive to children. Wristbands are available at the Overgate Centre in Dundee. www.littleandlost.co.uk BEST BAR NONE – DUNDEE 
Coordinated through the Dundee Co-ordinated Anticrime Network, Best Bar None awards all on-trade licensed premises who show excellent
examples of best practice. The scheme's aim is to cut down on alcohol related crime and irresponsible drinking. The scheme was set and
devised in Manchester by Greater Manchester Police Force in 2003. It was then agreed to roll the scheme out nationally throughout the UK.
Dundee was the second Scottish city to adopt the scheme in 2005.
The Best Bar None Award is granted to local pubs, bars and clubs who display a long standing commitment to social responsibility and the safety of people using their establishment both staff and customers. www.bbndundee.co.uk TRUANCY INITIATIVE A joint initiative with Home School Support Services. It was identified that large numbers of young people were not attending school each day and that many were frequenting the city centre area of Dundee. The Education Department brought an "Out of School Pass" scheme into operation whereby every child out of school for a legitimate reason has to obtain a pass. Police Officers and School Welfare Officers working in pairs patrol areas frequented by the young people and stop them to ascertain if they have an "Out of School Pass". Those who do not, have their details noted and the Education Department subsequently write to their parents/guardian advising them their child has been out of school without authorisation. The Initiative is ongoing and intelligence led. Where possible local Police Liaison Officers work in partnership with Education Welfare Officers responsible for schools in their area. As a direct result of the partnership working, police and education staff are working together to combat youth problems in the Whorterbank area of Dundee. This involves joint patrols during the school day by staff from each agency. JOINT WORKING In order to promote a better working relationship between Police and the Social Work Department C.I.S give an input to newly qualified social workers employed by Dundee City Council. This input covers the function of the police, their role in relation to young people, particularly those in care and the justice system. The second part of the input is dedicated to looking at the drug laws and drugs in general to raise awareness of the types of situation staff may encounter. PEER EDUCATION DRUG PROJECT This project work is taking place in a number of schools in Dundee and the project leaders work closely with the Police Drug Prevention Officer and the police liaison officers for the school in which the projects are being run. The group identifies young people in 2nd year at the schools in which they work and run a 12-week drug education package, which includes a residential weekend to teach them about drugs and peer education. After this training period the young people then work in their feeder primary schools and deliver drug education to children in primaries 6 and 7. At all times they are supported by project workers. This project is still being evaluated but is known to promote a much deeper knowledge of drugs issues in all the groups involved. SAFETAYSIDERS (DUNDEE) This project which promotes personal safety, runs across the Force area and is generally run by the relevant Community Safety Offices in each division. First run in 1990, the participants take part in interactive scenarios which teach them how to deal with different situations in a safe environment. Partners include Tayside Fire Brigade, Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Hydro Electric, Transco, R.N.L.I, Dundee City Council and Countryside Wardens. KICK IT KICK OFF This project is a football-based course aimed at youngsters who are at risk due to offending or having difficulties within main stream education. It uses sport as the basis for addressing issues such as behaviour and other related problems such as substance misuse. The aim is to help to develop the young people and divert them from disruptive and negative behaviour. BEACON WARNINGS This initiative is designed to make contact with the parents of youths who are identified by local police officers as being on the fringes of criminal activity or engaging in anti-social behaviour towards other persons within the Community, by congregating in large numbers and creating noise or litter nuisance. A letter is sent to the parents of those identified, pointing out their child's actions and encouraging them to take responsibility for their child's behaviour. On a second occasion a child is found to be involved in anti-social behaviour a warning is given by the Local Liaison Sergeant. On the third or subsequent occasion a referral is submitted to the Children Reporter Services. JOINT WORKING Working on training with organisations such as Helm Training, Ergo Training, Henry Boot training, Rathborne Training and Dundee College. All of these agencies are providing training to young people who have specific behavioural and inclusion issues. COMMUNITY CLEAN UP Cheviot Crescent, Fintry Housing Estate in Dundee has seen most of the multi tenanted housing blocks demolished and the remaining houses re-developed over the past few years. What was once a busy street with many families has become quiet and almost deserted by comparison. All this change has had an adverse effect on local services provided. A small shopping precinct in Cheviot Crescent which has a public house, grocer, bookmaker, etc, has been neglected for many years, been starved of investment and used as a graffiti canvas by the local young people and as a dumping ground for rubbish by residents. It is fair to say that it is in a poor state of repair. The community, encouraged by Constables Ellis and Whyte, has started on the long road to reclaiming this precinct. Residents, police and young people had a clean up initiative lasting 3 days which saw the planting of flowers, grass cutting and shrub clearance along with the removal of around 25 tons of rubbish. There are plans in hand to have community representatives re-paint the graffiti walls with community art. This work was enabled by the generosity of the local B&Q store, which donated tools and paint free of charge. NEW COMMUNITY SAFETY PANEL The Ardler housing estate in Dundee has seen huge changes over the past 4 years with a long-term programme of urban regeneration. Several multi-storey blocks and several hundred dormitory type houses have been demolished making way for modern, high quality, low-density dwellings. As the new builds have been occupied, many community issues have emerged and the local liaison officer has encouraged the formation of a new community safety panel to improve the identification of these problems and streamline a uniformed response from the many partnership agencies in the panel. Police, social services, health service providers, housing association and of course, residents. A spin-off benefit is that the forum allows the agencies to return information to the community through the group. |
