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Ken has welcomed the news extra police and community warden patrols will take to East Renfrewshire streets over Christmas and New Year.
The patrols will also concentrate on licensed premises to cut under-age alcohol sales while youth workers will be on the streets to help steer young people away from trouble.
A police officer will be based at the council’s CCTV control room to direct high-visibility patrols in areas such as Barrhead, Neilston, Giffnock, Clarkston, Busby, Newton Mearns and Thornliebank. And a zero tolerance stance will apply to anti-social behaviour and street disorder and drinking.
The drive is in addition to a separate police and warden focus on Barrhead’s Dunterlie area and the operations are designed to cut crime and the fear of crime across the council area by combining council and police resources effectively to focus on problem areas.
Jim said: "It is always reassuring to know their will be a police presence on our streets and this time of year. It means more police on the streets to deter and deal with the minority of residents who want to spoil Christmas and New Year for the law-abiding majority.”
East Renfrewshire sub-divisional officer, Superintendent Ciorstan Shearer, said: “Officers and community wardens will work together, backed by the CCTV system, to drive down crime and the fear of crime by responding quickly to incidents while deterring would-be criminals and reassuring communities by a high-profile presence on the streets.”