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What we are doing in West Lothian to promote Community Safety

BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES AND PROTECTING PEOPLE AT RISK: Working Together for a Safer West Lothian

We 'link' these together with a 'Golden thread'- from the Government's vision for Scotland, through the Community Safety priorities right down to operational delivery of services on a monthly and daily basis by the Partnership.

The 'Golden thread', from the Scottish Government to the tactical groups are as follows:

  • The Scottish Government
  • Community Planning Partners
  • Community Safety Board
  • Safer Community Strategic Planning Group
  • 6 Weekly Partnership Tasking Group
  • Weekly Partnership Tasking

Local Perspective

In West Lothian, Community Safety Partners brought together their data and evidence to help identify the priorities for people in West Lothian. In addition to the daily work already carried out by services, the Community Safety Partners were able to identify further areas for focused priorities.  This Community Safety Strategic Plan 2022-25 sets out key outcomes, activities and behaviours that the Community Safety Partnership will pursue in support of our individual and joint local priorities.  It aims to support a culture of continuous improvement for joint working to make West Lothian safe

West Lothian's Community Safety Priorities for 2022 - 25 include: 

  1. Community Wellbeing issues including unintentional harm, suicide prevention, mental health, drugs and alcohol
  2. Road and Water Safety
  3. Early and Effective Intervention (including ACES)
  4. Hoarding and Financial Harm
  5. Poverty and Inequality
  6. Serious Organised Crime
  7. Counter Terrorism

Within each priority area, there are further areas of work that the Partners will specialise in, in order to help keep West Lothian communities safe, in addition to the work already being carried out, e.g. violence, antisocial behaviour and fire prevention. You can view the full West Lothian Community Safety Strategic Plan 2022-2025   [700KB]

West Lothian Community Safety Unit

West Lothian Community Safety Unit (CSU) was formed in April 2010 bringing together partners with a diverse business remit including Police Scotland, West Lothian Council and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.  Members include experts in education,  health, fire prevention, crime prevention, road safety, antisocial behaviour, drug awareness, analytical provision, performance management and community engagement.

Nearly all the community safety partners are based in West Lothian Civic Centre.  In bringing partner agencies together physically, the CSU is seen to be an innovative approach to community safety, which aims to provide positive outcomes for residents in West Lothian by eradicating duplication and ensuring that everyone is working towards clear and shared objectives. The approach recognises that issues such as antisocial behaviour can be most effectively tackled by partnership working.

The partnership works towards the 'PIER' concept, which forms the backbone of the joint working by all partners when tackling Community Safety.

PREVENTION: Activities that stop an action or behaviour from occurring, or reoccurring

INFORMATION: Data that can assist and identify opportunities

ENFORCEMENT: Activities that tackle an identified issue or individual's behaviour

REHABILITATION: Activities that promote a positive action or behaviour

Antisocial Behaviour

Strategically, antisocial behaviour is one of the community safety priorities, which is aimed at maintaining and improving the quality of life in our communities.

Examples of incidents the Community Safety Partners deal with include:

  • Deliberate Fires
  • Environmental issues
  • Antisocial Behaviour
  • Hate Crime
  • Neighbourhood Complaints
  • Vandalism
  • Youth Calls
  • Off-Road Bikes causing ASB

Working within the communities, are the Police Scotland Community Officers, West Lothian Council Safer Neighbourhood Team Officers (SNT), Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Officers along with Health and Social Care Partnership colleagues and voluntary services. 

The SNT investigates complaints from residents who are experiencing problems with excessive noise from within their communities including loud music and noise from parties, entertainment noise from licensed premises, car alarms, and intruder alarms from both domestic and business premises. The team can use a variety of measures to help put an end to antisocial behaviour and noise complaints, as well as providing a witnessing service.  They will make enquiries and carry out investigations into complaints of antisocial behaviour and where necessary provide warnings to people about their behaviour.  In most cases, people will reassess their behaviour and the impact it has on others but on some occasions evidence is collated and the SNT officers will apply for an Antisocial Behaviour Order (ASBO) for those who refuse to modify and change their actions.

To contact the service for advice and assistance, local residents should call: