MORAY’S COMMUNITY COUNCILS are no longer to receive monthly detailed crime reports from local officers – although they will still strive to attend meetings.
While the monthly written reports are not provided to all community councils, they have been seen as a vital part of local liaison with police where they are produced.
However, police insist that they take too much time to prepare and that is a distraction for officers from their normal duties.
The change was revealed to Moray Councillor and MSP Douglas Ross, who was told of the shift during a recent meeting with Moray’s area commander, Chief Inspector Stewart Mackie. The move is now likely to be raised at the Police and Fire and Rescue Committee in Moray Council this week.
Mr Ross, who is the shadow Justice Minister at the Scottish Government, said that the Chief Inspector had told him the detailed reports would end – but added that he was “very keen” that officers continued to attend community council meetings to provide verbal updates on emerging issues and update them on work police have been doing in their communities.
Douglas Ross said: “While I understand these may have been time consuming to prepare, they contain vital information and I hope officers will continue to provide this information in alternative forms to local people.
“The job of the police in Moray is made easier when they have the support of the local community and the two work together to keep this area as safe as possible.
“I will be monitoring how these changes impact the work done in Forres and other areas to ensure we continue to get the high level of service from Police Scotland.”
The revelation comes just days after comments from a serving officer at a community council meeting sparked claims that the force in Moray was suffering from a staffing crisis.