Category: community

One of the biggest challenges I face as the Community Safety Engager will be reassuring people that for most of the time, they are safe and to reduce their anxiety and fear about crime and who is considered to be responsible for causing crime within the local community. The community safety survey found that 64% of respondents felt that the fear of crime and the need for reassurance was a noticeable and fairly significant problem in the local areas.

In November 2020 the Scottish Community Safety Network, published a significant piece of research. ‘The Scottish Picture of Antisocial Behaviour (ASB)’ report, produced by Robyn Bailey, Social Researcher for the Scottish Government, who was commissioned to research into ASB in terms of how common it is, which types are most common, who is engaging in it and what is driving it. I know many people cannot be bothered with facts and figures; but it is in my view worth pondering over some of Robyn Baileys findings, as they are revealing and, in some respects, consistent with many local peoples experiences. However, when we look at the national picture this is suggesting that problems with ASB are actually falling.

The research found that Levels of ASB have decreased over the past 10 years and the public have noticed this decline in their areas, nevertheless, those living in the most deprived areas, in socially rented housing and in large urban areas, as well as younger people, are more likely to perceive ASB issues in their area. The consultation work I carried out in 2020 echoed these concerns and I noted a high level of concern about the connection between poverty, lack of opportunities and the very local levels of ASB. It would therefore not be unreasonable to conclude that if we do not address poverty and inequality then the same local neighbourhoods will continue to suffer from disproportionately higher levels of ASB

The next observation is that although youth crime rates in Scotland are falling, the percentage of people who view young people hanging around on the streets as ‘problematic’ has continued to grow (Neary et al 2013) This seems to be due to stereotyping of young people congregating in public, which leaves them in a difficult position: just being young and hanging about can make these youngsters seem to be unfairly criminalised and often treated like modern day folk devils. This process over time leads people to think that groups of young people hanging about is in itself a form off ASB. If the levels of ASB are actually decreasing as the research is suggesting then a significant part of feeling safe has to be about changing some peoples perceptions of what young people are actually doing when they hang about in groups. They are often just socialising and not actually involved with ASB and the research would seem to support this observation.

As always, the challenge is in responding to these circumstances in ways that are effective, and which bring about change for the better. The research finds that in reality ASB is more often caused by people in their thirties and not teenagers, and the most common ASB is unwanted and intrusive noise. The best course of action that is suggested will require the community and agencies to try and correct these false historic perceptions. The recommendation is that we need to adopt community-led approaches to tackling ASB. My role therefore as community safety engager should be key and central to facilitating, engaging, and supporting the community to develop responses and opportunities which will have the best chance of success. Firstly, we need to understand the causes of ASB and then we will have a far better chance of successfully reducing that negative behaviour. The solutions might be practical, for example excessive noise might be remedied through improving wall insulation and having more effective sound proofing in the housing stock. Another pertinent example might be about developing new local youth services that are appropriate to their needs and interests. In areas of low income and with high incidence of poverty and deprivation then access to local sports and leisure facilities may need to improve and the barrier of cost be removed. Similarly unresolved mental health issues and ongoing substance dependency need to be tacked at their route causes as opposed to tackling their symptoms and the social and criminal consequences of these addictions and negative behaviours.

Finally, we need to address the perceptions of ASB and who engages in it and acknowledge that this is often influenced by stereotypes and reinforced through the media and the creation of moral panics. The responses to the local community safety priorities will require us to get behind these stereotyped labels, better understand the causes of people’s behaviours and attitudes and then as a community work together to facilitate successful sustainable solutions. One of the strap lines of Neighbourhood Watch Scotland is “We all need to look out for each other” and in that statement lies the core of an effective community safety strategy

The Picture of Anti-Social Behaviour in Scotland can be found at:https://www.safercommunitiesscotland.org/new-research-the-scottish-picture-of-anti-social-behaviour/

So, what would we consider to be a living street? What gives it life and makes it a vibrant, safe, and a sociable place which we all enjoy being about? I thought that I would revisit a previous blog that looked at living streets and in particular the creation of pop up parks. I am very pleased to announce that the new Tidy, Clean and Green Community Group have been awarded £1500 through the Falkirk Council Community Choices Programme towards the cost of setting up Pop up parks throughout Camelon and Tamfourhill. So lets reflect back upon the context and vision for having these provisions as part of the process of making our local community a safer, happier and more attractive place to live. My previous blog began with highlighting some of the key features and attributes which can contribute to making our streets alive and safe for everyone in the neighbourhood.

The Covid lockdown has offered us a glimpse into a more greener living environment, there were less motor vehicles and with their decrease in noise and exhaust fumes, we experienced an increase in people and families going out for walks and a similar increase in people travelling by wheels, including bikes, skateboards and scooters. The air was cleaner, the birds chirping much more noticeably, and the grass and undergrowth were left to grow, flourish and bloom without their regular cutting and maintenance.  The notion of prioritising pedestrians over cars is seldom a popular approach to designing our streets and shopping areas, people like the convenience of shopping by car and often travelling to shopping centres on the outside of their communities. This however has a negative impact upon the quality of our own streets and in the decrease of local shops catering for local needs and which are often owned and run by local people. The priority when planning and managing our streets always seems to be about how we move cars or motor vehicles about, and marginalised groups are often discriminated against and consequently are excluded from our streets and public places. This effects our older people , those with physical and unseen disabilities and other vulnerable groupings who are discouraged and alienated from walking their streets , going to local shops or hanging about socialising due to the intimidating designs of our streets and the dominance of the motor car. I recently was made aware of the Living Streets Scotland organisation and their Walking connects Project. I learned from them about how our public places often act as barriers to vulnerable groups like those with disabilities and how these so-called public spaces can make individuals and groups feel unsafe. I was made aware of how peoples human rights were being undermined and how they were being discriminated against and in fact how few people actually were aware of how their social spaces were being used to oppress and alienate them.

https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/about-us/scotland

Our communal spaces can be made safer and less intimidating if we include certain features, for example public seating. This provides a resting spot for those who might not be fully fit due to age or illness. Install benches with some plants and shrubs then we have created a comfortable social area, people will feel safer and they know they can rest and not be harassed and stressed as they go about their daily business. Clearly, we need to ensure that local people are involved with the design of their public spaces and this must be an inclusive process. Those whose needs are currently discriminated against need to be brought into this process as a priority and they will require support and positive encouragement to engage and participate effectively with that design process.

We often think back with nostalgia to when we could safely play football in the street, children were not at risk from motor cars and it was commonplace for people to gather and socialise at street corners. The motor car is here to stay so the main challenge now in making our streets alive and safe is how we manage the tension that exists between cars and people. How do we negotiate a positive outcome from this conflict which could convert our streets back to being the focus of our communities? A solution might be to agree days when cars are not allowed on certain streets and these spaces can then be converted into social and community spaces. This approach has been successfully developed and deployed by the Living Streets Organisation, with their pop up parks and Parklets. This can then be progressed through including mobile sports equipment and possibly a performance area and providing a temporary meeting construction with seats and cover from the weather.  

This sets the scene for the arrival of Pop-up Parks in Camelon and Tamfourhill, the first will be at the grass area at the car park at the Camelon Juniors Football ground on Friday 15th October, and this is also going to involve a very creative community taste and try day, I will off course explain all that’s going to be happening at this community safety event and how you and your family can get involved within this blog over the coming weeks.

Saturday was a family clear up on the canal  between the Falkirk Wheel and the Lock 16, the sun shone, and the wind blew at times, and the hard work of paddling and picking up rubbish was carried out with skill and through family teamwork. The canal is a central artery to the community, and it has been  so very positive over the last 5 months to have involved local families, young people, school classes, youth  and community groups who have all contributed to the upkeep of both the water and the towpath. The Our Place Camelon  and Tamfourhill Project will  continue to focus community development and regeneration around the canal network and encourage our Partners and  local people to utilise the canal corridor to its maximum potential in order to  facilitate new leisure, social and economic opportunities. I would like to thank Great Place Falkirk for the funding to support the canal clear ups over the last 5 months and Scottish Canals for providing quality instruction on the water and providing  support services for the towpath litter picks. It really has been a joint initiative and an excellent partnership approach with Falkirk Council  Waste Services teaming up with the Community Safety Engager to deliver dynamic workshops which encouraged  participation and learning about the  environmental impact of littering and fly-tipping.  The critically important factor was that the  local community was at the front and centre of this environmental programme, with several young people gaining their Saltire Challenge Awards for volunteering from the Scottish Government and all participants receiving a certificate of achievement for their contributions to keeping the Canal; Tidy, Clean and Green.

Sundays activities were based around the Brown Street Park in Camelon where the new Tidy, Clean and Green Group hosted a tree planting session which represents the first phase of transforming this old play park into a community growing space. The day however started with a community litter pick  which began in the Park itself and which also covered many of the surrounding streets. We were joined by a  staff group from the McDonalds Restaurant on Glasgow Road and  by Councillor Dennis Goldie and they really have made  a massive difference to the Park and the surrounding streets that they  so thoroughly  covered.

The main event of Sunday was the planting of the 20 trees which had been provided by the Woodland Trust. We were joined by Councillors Cecil Meiklejohn, David Alexander, and our local MSP Gillian McKay, who each  got a hold of a spade and assisted with the tree planting. The local volunteers from the new Group of Chris, Nicholla, Arya, Mathew, Angie, and Nathan  were all happy to see their new community group launched with a weekend of environmental endeavours which will be the beginning of a journey to make Camelon and Tamfourhill a Tidier, Cleaner and Greener  place to live and enjoy.   

The Tidy, Clean & Green Campaign developed as a local response to the Community safety Strategies priorities for Camelon and Tamfourhill. Over the last year local people and community organisations were consulted about their priorities for making Camelon and Tamfourhill a safer, happier, and more attractive place to live. A significant theme and recurring concern was the level of litter, fly-tipping and dog pooh that was  having a really negative impact upon the local area and contributing to the spoiling  and deterioration of the local green environment. The community response to this was to get out and about and start clearing up the community through regular litter picks and to involve local community groups and the schools with this action. The wider plan was to transform some of the notorious local grot spots into community growing projects and to look to establish a series of Pop-up Parks at various open spaces throughout Camelon and Tamfourhill. Local volunteers have stepped up to the mark and faced these challenges through direct community action and with the support of the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill Project the volunteers have now been forming themselves into the Tidy, Clean and Green constituted community group.

This new Community Action Group will be officially launched this weekend of Saturday 14^th & Sunday 15^th August with a programme of environmental activities, Leader of Falkirk Council Cecil Meiklejohn will officiate over the launch which will also be attended and supported by our local MP John McNally.

There are opportunities for any interested  people and groups to get involved with the weekends launch programme: 

Saturday 14^th August: The Family  Canal Clear up Day from the Falkirk Wheel to Lock  16

The last in the series of the Our Place Camelon & Tamfourhill Great Place Falkirk funded community canal clear ups. If your family would like to take part then please get in touch with myself John R Hosie , the Community Safety Engager on 07391524528 or communitysafetyengager@tamfourhilltro.co.uk, advance booking is essential. You can take part as 1 adult/parent/carer with 2 of your children, they must be 8 years and older for the canoe part of the day although there are no age  restrictions for the canal towpath litter pick and the workshop session. A great way to end the school holidays and enjoy a day out and about around lock 16, the canal and the Falkirk Wheel. There is no cost to taking part and whoever does take part will be making a valuable contribution to keeping our community tidy, clean, and green . You can link with our Facebook event for further information and details at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/4273201196059503?ref=newsfeed

Sunday 15 August: Community Litter Pick and Tree Planting session.

The Litter Pick starts at 12 noon ,and the meeting place is the old Brown Street Park in Camelon, and  we are being joined by the staff from the McDonalds Restaurant on Glasgow Road, Camelon who are coming along to show their staffs and the  restaurants commitment to keeping the local area #tidycleangreen.  The  Tree Planting  will start from around 1pm also at the  Brown Street Park.   Councillor Meiklejohn will be joining us so if you would also like an afternoon out and about in the fresh air then please come and join  us at the Brown Street Park for the litter pick and the tree planting. We are very grateful to the support we receive from Keep Scotland Beautiful, Falkirk Council Waste Services, Woodland Trust and the litter picking support of the local McDonalds Restaurant.

An interesting and refreshingly positive aspect of the Canal Clear ups has been the young peoples workshops which have concluded the days clean up work on both the canal and the towpath. The group who took part on Wednesday 21st July were tasked with thinking about where they lived and the places they played with their friends and to then consider some of the environmental issues at these places and to come up with their own plans and ideas for keeping these special places #tidycleangreen. I was really privileged to hear about all the locations the youngsters went to and were important to them, from the Roman Park in Tamfourhill, the places with the special named stones in Rowen Crescent and the skatepark in Falkirk. The group who were aged 8 -11 years old worked in groups of three or four and here is a taste of their ideas and creations for improving and keeping their special places #tidycleangreen, so don’t be surprised to see some of these projects becoming a reality and actually happening over the coming months.

A Group want to make up songs and jingles and these could be played on the radio

Roses are red, violets are blue if you drop litter that could hurt you

A group worked on designing their own bins for the park

My favourite idea was making up games, these could be board games, or they could be games painted onto the ground or computer games played on a laptop or phone, we had dancing games, get the rubbish through the basket ball hoop to win points and the rubbish hopscotch game. How about a game of parkour where you have to jump and gather litter as you go around the course and obstacles: that sounds like a future Olympic sport.

Poster competitions were a popular idea and that is certainly a project that I would like to encourage and support, some of the suggested statements were :

There is no excuse for Littering ,

remember to; reduce, reuse and recycle,

Keep this world happy so don’t drop litter,

Here are some thoughts and ideas that big business might be advised to pay attention too: our young eco campaigners might be coming to a factory near you to request that you only use: Reusable plastics, governments might want to consider having special days when no plastics can be used anywhere in the country , more and bigger fines are required for those who drop litter and indeed also for companies that continue to produce and use single use plastics.

Finally one group want to organise their own litter pick for the Roman Park in Tamfourhill and that’s definitely something I can get organised very quickly , now I just need some crazy poster ideas and I wonder who I could ask to design me some groovy cool posters ?