Extra Safety in Our Communities

With the glowing autumn season now upon us, the familiar run-up to the festive period is coming clearly into sight. As we look forward to the seasonal celebrations this year, we have a further reason to be positive and anticipate an enjoyable and sociable Christmas and New Year for everyone here in Banff & Buchan.

This year, as a result of a new anti-violence campaign and extra government funding for various street safety initiatives we will see greater security on our streets and in our communities in Banff & Buchan. An extra £1 million will be made available to Community Safety Partnerships to fund projects designed to reduce violence and tackle the scourge of alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour in city and town centres. £10,000 of this sum has been designated to the Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership which will go a long way to protecting communities in Banff & Buchan and ensuring a more secure atmosphere on the streets of towns like Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Banff over this festive period.

Initiatives to be created as a result of this funding include late night taxi marshal schemes, Safe Zones, extra enforcement at areas where frequent trouble occurs and a more visible police presence. This is an excellent, proactive response by the new Government to the many social problems associated with alcohol misuse in Scotland – primarily violence. This follows other measures outlined by the Justice Secretary to crack down on alcohol misuse such as banning irresponsible drinks promotions which encourage binge drinking.

Antisocial drinking is a problem which affects the welfare of all of us in society – from the health of those who engage in such behaviour to the safety, peace of mind and general wellbeing of the rest of the public. It is a basic right of every individual to feel secure and unthreatened in their localities. While the government has no wish to restrict the social and responsible enjoyment of alcohol, irresponsible, excessive drinking reaps only negative consequences for individuals, families, communities and our society as a whole. This behaviour must be curtailed to ensure that the actions of the few don’t impinge on the freedom and enjoyment of the many.

Poetic Expressions
While some believe poetry to be a declining art enjoyed only by a minority of people, it is a tradition which is alive and well in Banff & Buchan. Indeed I had the pleasure last week of presenting prizes at this year’s Banffshire Maritime Heritage Association poetry competition. It was a most interesting event which showcased some truly quality pieces of poetry from writers hailing not only from here in Banff & Buchan and but from across the world – an event of both local and international significance.

The subject was the sea and the diversity immense as entries came in different dialects, with the winning poem written in Doric, plus a huge variety of themes and styles. Amongst the prize winners were poets from Portsoy, Banff, Portlethen and somewhat further a field, from the Isle of Wight and even Tasmania, Australia. It was fantastic to see not only the art of poetry, but also our maritime tradition being celebrated in such a creative way. Appreciation of our local arts and culture is clearly important to the people of Banff & Buchan and events like this ensure that that tradition remains strong.