Community policing across Scotland comes under the spotlight during April and May as the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee undertakes a series of fact-finding visits to inform its community policing inquiry, starting in Dundee tomorrow.

At the conclusion of the Justice Committee's recent inquiry into the effective use of police resources, the Committee expressed concern at the absence of a commonly agreed definition and approach to community policing in Scotland. A commitment was then made to carry out a second phase inquiry to examine in more detail how effectively community policing is currently being delivered.

To gain a better understanding of how community policing varies across Scotland, the Committee will witness its delivery in Dundee, the Scottish Borders and in the areas served by Central Scotland Police and by the North Lanarkshire Division of Strathclyde Police.

Committee Convener Bill Aitken MSP said: “It is important that we see community policing in operation first-hand and understand how the delivery of community policing varies. We want to know what is good about community policing in Scotland and what can be improved upon. Experiencing this for ourselves will help us when we come to take evidence from witnesses later on in the year.”

The Committee's first visit will be on Tuesday 15 April to Dundee where they hope to gain an insight into how Tayside Police delivers community policing and the role of community wardens in providing a service to the people of Dundee.

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