Taking to social media is understandable, but report crime concern to police

Firstly, it is welcome news that crime is falling in Inverclyde. However, crimes of violence have increased by almost 10 per cent – which led us on to discuss the No Knives Saves Lives campaign, as a constituent contacted me recently about knife amnesty bins. It’s been several years now since these bins were in place locally, so I’m hoping to work with Police Scotland to address this and help make our communities safer by getting knives off our streets.

Next, I highlighted concerns that have been put to me about children being filmed in public spaces. This involves local areas but also places elsewhere in the west of Scotland. The Divisional Commander reassured me that Police Scotland take these reports very seriously, which is why I want to urge members of the public to report any concerns they have to the police.

I understand why people take to social media, as they are trying to keep children safe. While that is admirable, in some instances, this can harm police efforts. It’s critical that we all remain vigilant, just as we would anyway, and if people suspect anything or see someone behaving unusually in public spaces like our parks, they should contact the police immediately.

We also discussed the future of Greenock police station, and I stressed the vital importance of our custody suite provision. Parliament is now in recess for two weeks, so I’m looking forward to spending this week out and about in the constituency..