The Police, Fire & Rescue and Safer Communities Board met on Wednesday 24 June 2026 to discuss a range of issues concerning public safety across the Scottish Borders. Key topics included an update from Police Scotland on crime statistics and operational matters, a performance report from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and an update on the work of the Safer Communities team.

Police Scotland Update

David Roke, the new Local Area Commander for the Scottish Borders, presented an updated and more user-friendly scrutiny report from Police Scotland. The report detailed statistics on various crime categories, including missing people, domestic abuse, sexual crime, hate crime, violent crime, acquisitive crime, and serious and organised crime.

In the area of Protecting Vulnerable People, there were 307 missing people reports, with 76% resulting in inquiries. Domestic abuse saw 943 crimes and 1,461 incidents, with a 67% detection rate. Of particular note, 32% of all violent crime relates to domestic settings. The report highlighted the use of MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences) referrals for high-risk domestic abuse cases and the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS). The Imagine the Man programme, aimed at providing male role models and understanding the impact of violence to young males, was also discussed.

Regarding Sexual Crime, there were 313 crimes reported, with a 62% detection rate. A significant proportion (38%) of these were non-recent, and 30% were non-contact offences such as online grooming. Sexual assault constituted a high proportion of these crimes.

Hate Crime saw 132 recorded crimes with a 65% detection rate, alongside 18 hate incidents. The report also detailed work with partners on adult and child inter-agency referral discussions, with 1,555 adult and 1,807 child vulnerable person database entries recorded to ensure support for vulnerable individuals.

In Reducing Violent Crime and Antisocial Behaviour, 1,409 violent crimes were recorded with a 64% detection rate, a 9% increase driven by common assaults. However, serious assaults and robbery were down by 24% and 38% respectively. Antisocial behaviour incidents showed a continuing downward trend with 4,201 incidents, a 24% decline. The Boonefoot Problem Solving Partnership was highlighted as a successful initiative.

Tackling Acquisitive Crime saw an increase, largely driven by a 46% rise in theft by shoplifting, mirroring a national trend. Housebreaking was down 7%, but theft of motor vehicles increased by 83%. Funding has been secured to tackle shoplifting specifically.

Under Tackling Serious and Organised Crime, 67 drug supply offences were recorded, along with 13 production or manufacturing offences. 86 stop searches were conducted, with 35 positive. A significant recovery of drugs and weapons in Tweed Bank was highlighted.

Finally, concerning Road Casualties, the last financial year saw a slight decrease in deaths and serious injuries. There were 70 dangerous driving offences, 154 careless driving offences, 103 driving under the influence offences, and 62 speeding offences. The use of drone technology by the roads policing unit to improve road safety was also mentioned.

During the question and answer session, Councillor Donald Moffat raised concerns about off-road motorcycles, parking issues in Duns, clone vehicles, missing people (particularly those with dementia), drug dealers, and repeat offenders in sexual assault and domestic abuse cases. David Roke addressed these, noting ongoing work on legislation for off-road vehicles, the challenge of prioritising parking issues with finite resources, and the reliance on public information for drug dealing. He also explained protocols for missing persons with dementia and the multi-agency approach to domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Councillor James Anderson raised issues regarding shoplifting, the sale of vapes, a rise in racism, drug dealing, and the presence of unidentified white CCTV cameras. Mr Roke responded by highlighting the organisation's focus on shoplifting, including the use of criminal anti-social behaviour orders (CRASBOs) and diversionary tactics for offenders. He also confirmed that warrants had been executed regarding vape sales and that the service would investigate any specific examples of hate crime. Regarding the unidentified CCTV cameras, Mr Roke stated he had no knowledge of them and would investigate.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Update

Area Commander Murray Douglas and Group Commander Steve Oliver provided an update on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) operations in the Scottish Borders. They announced that local fire and rescue plans had been reviewed and submitted for internal approval, with a new plan to be shared for consultation. A new welfare capability for wildfires has been established, including an all-terrain vehicle and welfare support units. On-call recruitment has been enhanced with a new practical selection test centre at Gala Shields fire station.

A significant discussion took place regarding the Service Delivery Review. The Board approved recommendations to introduce a day shift duty system for the first appliance at Hawick fire station, with on-call firefighters crewing it outside of these hours. The second pumping appliance will continue to be crewed by on-call firefighters. An amendment was made to explore arrangements for additional whole-time employees to support on-call availability during challenging day shift hours. Councillor William McAteer, a local ward member for Hawick, expressed significant concern from the community about the decision, feeling their representations had been ignored and that the community would feel more vulnerable. Murray Douglas reassured the community that modelling systems are robust and that the changes are about matching resources to risks and demand, citing previous reviews that showed no negative impact on safety outcomes. He also acknowledged the feedback received, noting that the nucleus crew arrangement at Gala Shields had been changed due to feedback.

Steve Oliver then presented the SFRS performance report, detailing 684 incidents attended, a reduction from the previous year. This included 134 fires and 218 non-fire incidents. Accidental dwelling fires (ADFs) were down to 31, with cooking appliances remaining the main cause. There were four non-fatal casualties and one fatal casualty from ADFs. Non-fire incidents included 42 road traffic collisions (RTCs), with 24 casualties and no fatalities during this period. Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals (UFAS) saw a slight increase, attributed to repeat activations in a small number of premises. Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSVs) totalled 305, with a continued person-centred approach targeting high-risk households. Fire Safety Enforcement activity remained strong with 129 audits completed. Community Safety and Engagement work included extensive youth and older persons initiatives, road safety campaigns, and water safety activity.

Councillor James Anderson raised questions about businesses causing false alarms and work with Transport Scotland and BEAR Scotland to improve dangerous junctions for RTCs. Steve Oliver explained that repeat offenders for UFAS receive additional support and that the SFRS does not lead on RTC investigations, which are handled by the police and local authority. Councillor Anderson also inquired about engagement with farmers regarding wildfire prevention, such as fire breaks and dryer safety. Murray Douglas confirmed that the SFRS is liaising with landowners and forestry companies and is in the early stages of reaching out to moorland groups, welcoming any contacts from rural communities.

Safer Communities Update

Colin Bain, Senior Antisocial Behaviour Officer, provided an update on the Safer Communities team's work. The team focuses on anti-social behaviour (ASB) core work, general public complaints, and mediation. At the end of the year, there were 722 early interventions for ASB made by partners, a 3.7% increase. Property checks to prevent ASB have been introduced, and the number of persons monitored for ASB increased by 5.5%. The report highlighted the use of 14 CRASBOs, 12 of which relate to high-end shoplifters. Mediation uptake is being addressed through website improvements and a new video. New cases for ASB monitoring have decreased slightly, reflecting a reduction in ASB calls from the police. The Burnfoot project and the successful use of town CCTV to obtain a civil ASBO to protect vulnerable adults from extortion were also mentioned.

Councillor James Anderson raised concerns about ASB in his area and requested CRASBOs for the Eyemouth Co-op due to inundation with shoplifters. Colin Bain explained that CRASBOs are a judicial matter but that the unit would be involved if specific individuals were identified. Councillor Donald Moffat inquired about CCTV in Coldstream, and Colin Bain confirmed that the message had been passed to the relevant officer and he would check on its progress.

The meeting concluded with a discussion about the frequency of future meetings, with the Chair suggesting an increase from twice to three times a year for consideration at the next meeting.