Town's soaring crime rates

Jan 18 2013 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post

Crime has doubled in a seaside town during the last year.

Worried cops are dealing with the huge hike in figures for Troon, which saw a stream of festive flashpoints.

And community leaders have labelled the trend “deeply distressing” after the sharp rise in assaults, vandalism and breach of the peace.

Police met with the town’s community council to discuss the disturbing rise.

And they revealed nearly 400 call-outs were answered during the 2012/13 festive season – almost double the previous year.

Trouble has centred on the town’s Templehill area, with a number of arrests and serious offences.

Troon councillor Nan McFarlane, who attended the meeting with police, insisted: “These figures were a real shock to everyone.

“We were told about stabbings, assaults and extra police being drafted in to deal with the problems.

“This must lead to a proper look at licensing and how we take into account people’s drinking habits.”

The community council heard that Templehill, the town’s main night time zone, was now firmly on the radar for concerned cops.

Troon councillor Peter Convery said: “The police officers’ report was deeply distressing.

“The fact that a great deal of the incidents happened in a small area of Troon, and included police assaults, is something we need to take very very seriously.

“Some of the assaults involved deadly weapons and it’s something which cannot be condoned.

“We need to take note of this warning.”

Sgt John Law, of Troon police, added: “Offences as described will always spike during the festive period.

“There were a lot of incidents in the Templehill area of Troon which were late on at night.

“Drink was a large contributory factor in most, if not all of them. The figures speak for themselves.”