Police in festive crime crackdown

Jan 3 2013 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

Higher numbers of police have been patrolling communities across West Lothian in a bid to tackle violence and disorder over the festive period.

More officers have been serving in front-line response roles to bolster the police response to incidents on some of the busiest weekends of the year.

A range of enforcement and preventative activity has been undertaken, with officers focusing their efforts on targeting domestic assault and alcohol-related violence.

Chief Superintendent Jeanette McDiarmid, from Lothian and Borders Police, said she was keen to ensure officers were on hand to deal with any incidents which arise.

Speaking during the campaign, she said: “As part of our ongoing effort to tackle all forms of violence in local communities, we are deploying substantial numbers of additional officers within communities across West Lothian.

“The extra officers will provide a visible presence on local streets, and will help police deal swiftly and decisively with incidents of violence.

“There will be a particular focus on domestic abuse as part of this activity, in line with the ongoing Lothian and Borders Police campaign against domestic abuse over the festive period.

“The deployment of extra officers will ensure that we are well equipped to deal with incidents of alcohol-related violence and disorder.”