West Pilton Park has been cleaned up by a team of unpaid workers as part of the latest strand of the local anti-crime campaign, #StrongerNorth.
#StrongerNorth complements ongoing community safety measures but is a specifically targeted effort to deal with crime and to make the community a safer and more pleasant place to be. Involving police, the council and the local community, the #StrongerNorth initiative was set up in response to an escalation of antisocial behaviour in the area which culminated in the stabbing of a Chinese man last October.
West Pilton Park has now been tidied up by the Community Payback Order team, with overgrown weeds and trees trimmed to make it a more attractive resource for people to use and for them to feel safer while they do so.
Forth Councillor and community safety spokesperson Cammy Day said: “I’m really pleased with the work carried out to the park by the Community Payback team – it shows how simple things like clearing overgrown, unkempt areas can make places feel safer and less intimidating.
“This is a continuation of all the good work being carried out as part of #StrongerNorth and follows the recent community clean-ups, which led to several tonnes of rubbish being removed.
“There is a real sense of community amongst the people living in the area and the goal of #StrongerNorth is to capture that feeling and to take actions like these that deal with the problems people have raised with us.”
Inspector David Happs said: “#StrongerNorth is a key local priority for Police Scotland. We are fully supportive of the work undertaken by the Community Payback Team and we applaud efforts by Edinburgh Council to improve community safety in the Forth area.
“We are also pleased to see this enhancement to the local environment and believe it to be a key part of the Stronger North initiative. By clearing away this undergrowth, it will make the area significantly safer and it will hinder the disposal of stolen vehicles.”
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