Police took to the streets of Fife at the weekend for one of the region’s biggest operations to tackle violent disorder.
Over 80 specially-deployed officers were in communities throughout the kingdom to enforce bail orders, deal with violent offenders, and tackle underage drinking as part of the Campaign Against Violence (CAV).
Inspector Derek Paxton said that as well as enforcing the law, witnessing officers on patrol in their neighbourhoods was a great source of reassurance for the public.
“That’s what we hope to achieve,” he said. “To reassure the public and let them know that we’re here for them and doing the things that they want us to do and tackling the problems that are important to them anti-social behaviour, for example.
“Violent crime is not a priority everywhere but it is in some areas and that is one of the priorities of the Campaign Against Violence. We’re dealing with stuff that is violence-related as well bail checks, for instance.”
In addition to patrolling well-known trouble spots and checking up on known offenders, licensed premises were also checked to ensure that alcohol was being sold responsibly.
As well as additional officers, police staff also took to the beat to offer assistance and expertise.
“There are people out there who are not necessarily frontline police,” Inspector Paxton added.
“There are people out there in departments that don’t deal with the public, like in the offender management unit, who deal with sex offenders on a daily basis. They don’t do response policing but they still get drawn into CAV. Other departments, too the public detection unit, which deals with child abuse, rape units they’re all working on CAV.”
As well as protecting the public, operations such as the one conducted on Friday are hugely satisfying for the police.
Inspector Paxton added that being on the beat and making a difference is what every officer signs up to do.
“Officers are proud of what they do,” he continued. “They want to do what they can for the community because that’s what they’re here for.
“If they’re getting results then they feel like they are doing something for the community. It’s great to get out and see things happening on the ground. If people need dealt with then they get dealt with. You don’t join the police to sit behind a desk.”
A REASSURING PUBLIC FACE
I have been out on police operations before but never at night and never as part of such a large force, writes Jonathan Watson.
Drugs raids require an early start and are carried out with an intensity and focus that most members of the public would normally only see from top athletes.
However, Friday’s operations, carried out by hundreds of officers across Fife, were widespread and much more akin to the “bobby on the beat” style of policing some sections of society claim does not exist any more.
What was particularly interesting to see was the way in which the officers I followed interacted with the people they met. It was friendly, chatty and, ultimately, reassuring at all times.
One officer I was shadowing, originally from Sunderland, said that a potentially troublesome situation could be defused just by adopting the correct tone with a certain individual.
However, watching him chat and joke to a father and a couple of young girls at the Glenwood Centre showed that the way police engage with non-criminal elements of society is equally as important in the modern age.
I also spoke to one officer who said that, once, on patrol in St Andrews, he spoke to a member of the public who said they felt worried by seeing police on the street, as if their presence signified danger.
This could not be further from the truth, from what I witnessed in Glenrothes on Friday night.
Make no mistake, when sleeves needed to be rolled up and individuals dealt with, the officers I shadowed were firm, but always fair.
I was told that I had joined them on a relatively quiet night but it was more than enough to see the challenges faced by modern officers on our streets every day of the year.
The thin blue line in Fife has a soft centre but remains firm, and that seems just about right to me.