| The force was responding to a claim by Balgay councillor Bob Duncan that there were not enough officers to maintain control in the face of increasing anti-social behaviour in the scheme.
Councillor Duncan said he was aware of reports of cars being vandalised and hedges being burnt down and there had been “loads and loads of complaints”.
He added, “The police are very, very aware of this and I am seriously concerned about it.
“People should get the chance to live in their own homes in peace and quiet. The police do their best but the bottom line is that there just aren’t enough of them.”
Councillor Duncan, whose Balgay ward includes part of Menzieshill, appealed for the public’s help in tackling the problem adding, “We must get peace on the streets and, if we all work together, we can do it.”
Superintendent Arron Duncan, assistant divisional commander for Dundee, said the force would never turn down the offer of more officers, but he believed they were able to police the whole of the city with what they had.
He said, “It’s very easy to isolate an area and say we would like to put more officers in there without looking at the big picture.
“We are satisfied in terms of policing Dundee that we deploy the resources we have to meet the demands as best we can.
“The police service always welcomes the opportunity for more officers but Menzieshill is no different from other areas in terms of police response.
“If we have to increase resources, we will do that. Resources are spread right across the division on a day-to-day basis. Menzieshill is not deprived any more than any other area of Dundee.
“The public always state they would like to see more officers on the beat and we would like to get more officers on the beat. It’s just not possible because resources are finite as much in the police force as anywhere else.
“We identify areas having a particular problem and deploy additional resources from other areas or departments in the force if necessary.”
Superintendent Duncan backed Councillor Duncan’s call for greater public assistance in tackling the problems in Menzieshill.
He added, “There’s no point in the public tolerating large amounts of anti-social behaviour and not making us aware.
“It’s important we are told at the time and we will try to get there as quickly as possible to make them (youths) aware they are causing a problem by being there and we will try to deal with any anti-social behaviour.
“Parents also have to know what their children are doing at night and we have to make them aware of their responsibilities in the community.”
With much of the trouble fuelled by under-age drinking, Councillor Duncan appealed to shopkeepers not to sell alcohol to teenagers.
He also appealed to adults not to buy drink for youngsters although he acknowledged adults were sometimes intimidated by gangs into doing so.
“I would stress that people must report incidents to the police so all calls can be logged and we have a record of just how bad the problem is,” he said. |
