Community Safety in Forth

Community Safety and young people were the themes of Wednesday’s Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meeting held in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. Local youth agencies and police officers from the area’s Safer Neighbourhood Team ensured a lively and informative discussion at the teatime event.

The event opened with an excerpt from a drama currently being devised by Forth Youth Theatre. ‘Kieran’s Story’ tells a young local man’s true story and it promises to be a ‘must see’ when it’s performed at North Edinburgh Arts next month.

Pilton Youth & Children Project’s Daniel Rutherford gave a brief presentation on the one-to-one service provided through the local project, and this was followed by a short presentation by young people from Muirhouse Youth Development Group who described – despite a serious collective bout of the giggles – the wide variety of activities they are involved in!

A session of ‘breakout’ workshops in small groups was then scheduled, but Forth Neighbourhood Partnership convener Councillor Steve Cardownie decided instead to invite officers from the local Safer Neighbourhood Team to take questions and comments from the floor. This more informal forum proved to be very successful, with questions and contributions on a wide range of issues both from young people and from members of the wider community.

Neighbourhood Partnership member George Gordon chairs Forth’s Clean, Green and Safe action group. Summing up the event, he said: “The young people’s presentations were first class and we have had a very successful debate. Some specific issues have been flagged up – lighting at the Millennium Park, for example – and we have taken note of these. There have been changes to community policing and it takes a while for these changes to bed in and new faces to get known, but police officers continue to play a very active role in our communities.  Communications need to be improved, but that’s an issue not just for the police but also for Neighbourhood Partnership and the action groups”.

There was only one item of formal business decided by the meeting. Neighbourhood Partnerships allocate Neighbourhood Environmental Project funding, but registered tenants groups are unable to submit applications or propose NEP projects directly. Councillor Cammy Day’s motion to amend the criteria to open this process up to registered tenants organisations was agreed without dissent.

For further information on Community Safety in Forth, telephone 529 7050.