New police inspector vows to make EK a safer place

Nov 16 2011 by Lynda Nicol, East Kilbride News

“My main objective is to ensure all officers are visible and contactable within communities”

EAST KILBRIDE’S new community police chief has vowed to make the town a safer place.

Inspector Maurice Lindsay, 40, takes over from Inspector Ross Aitken as head of the Communities Unit at East Kilbride Police Station.

And the married dad-of-three has pledged to build on the work of Inspector Aitken by striving to make East Kilbride and its surrounding areas safer places to live, work and visit.

Inspector Lindsay, who was promoted last month to move from his role as the Community Policing Supervisor for Kirkintilloch, told the News: “I am aware of the work and success of Inspector Ross Aitken and I aim to continue the good work that he was doing in regards to establishing links in the community.

“My main objective is to ensure that all police officers are visible and contactable within the community.

“I also want to maintain and expand contact in East Kilbride, Strathaven and other communities round about through officers attending local community council meetings and residents associations, as well as strongly encouraging the use of the Strathclyde Police website as a means of members of the community and businesses contacting us.

“I want to develop methods of gathering community intelligence, so that the public can be actively involved in directing local officers to the areas they feel is a priority be it anti-social behaviour, drug misuse or road safety.”

Inspector Lindsay and his officers have been involved in a public consultation which will help deliver local policing priorities over the next year and allow officers to target areas of concern.

The local policing plan will be available on the police website along with crime statistics.

He added: “I am looking forward to working with policing partners in the community and build on the good working relationship that has already been established.

“Through this work, I will strive to make the East Kilbride and Strathaven communities a safer place to live work and visit.

“However, I would like to reassure people that we live within a safe community and their police officers are there for them and to work with and protect the environment we already have.

“I will certainly continue to look at any areas of concern and address these as swiftly and effectively as possible.”

Inspector Lindsay joined the police force in 1995 and was first stationed in the Gorbals and Govanhill areas of Glasgow carrying out mobile and foot patrols.

He then became a community police officer in Pollokshields before being transferred to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull in 2000, where he spent three years.

He was then promoted to Sergeant at Oban Police Office where he was Patrol Supervisor and Custody Officer.

It was during this time he developed his operational policing experience, taking a supervisory role and also developing links with local schools and the local council.

In 2007, he moved to East Dunbartonshire where he was Patrol Sergeant and a Custody Officer in Kirkintilloch and surrounding offices before being moved back into community policing, eventually taking up a supervisory role.

Here he worked closely with partnership organisations to address local policing priorities, something he is keen to develop further in his new post at East Kilbride.

Inspector Lindsay is also eager to highlight the important role Crimestoppers has to play in the battle against crime, with residents able to inform to police anonymously on 0800 555 111.