"We want to see more from the Police Community Action Teams" says Tweeddale councilllor

With crimes of anti-social behaviour increasing, Peebles Community Council has expressed concerns about the value the town is getting from the council-tax funded Community Action Teams.

Chairman Les Turnbull said: “I raised the question at our last meeting, whether or not some of that money would be better diverted to youth workers. People that can go out into the streets and work with youths positively. It does seem that the anti-social behaviour could get out of hand again.”

However, Tweeddale Councillor Shona Haslam warned the community council that it could end up at the bottom of the pile when it comes to youth workers being funded by SBC to tackle anti-social behaviour.

"I remember Christine Grahame came to the community council and said how lucky we were to have the CAT, as it gives us an additional 14 police officers in the Scottish Borders that we wouldn’t have otherwise.

"I wonder about impact of fourteen youth workers as opposed to 14 police officers, and I think that’s something we would have to consider.”

As part of the budget, she said that SBC councillors want to see more action from the police teams, and a review has been launched how they are tasked locally.

Stating that it would be a bad move to take money out of funding the Community Action Team, to invest it in youth work, she said: “My concern is that if it’s something that the council does, it is based on need. So if SBC was to put money aside for youth work, we would look at the figures and see where the biggest issues are, and the money would be spent there. Given the current figures, that money would be spent in Hawick, Galashiels, Jedburgh and Innerleithen, before it would come to Peebles.”

Councillor Haslam believes in a combined approach from the police and youth workers. “I don’t think it shold be one or the other,” she said. “If Tweeddale Youth Action was to come up with a project for funding for youth workers then councillors in the next administration would look favourably upon that.”