As the winter holiday season fast approaches Police in Cowdenbeath are aiming for a safe and happy Christmas for everyone in town, as they launch their annual Festive Safety Campaign.

The demands on Policing alter around this period with research showing the opportunity for crimes of dishonesty ranging from shoplifting to housebreaking increases. Along with the addition of partygoers and increased alcohol consumption often leading to more violent and anti-social offences.

Recognising the potential for an increase in retail crime, anti-social behaviour and violence, heightened patrols, by dedicated officers to the campaign, are being undertaken during trading hours and at weekends to provide a reassuring presence and hopefully deter any would be criminals.

Local Area Chief Inspector, Mike Stevens, said: "We are very supportive and eager to play our part in making sure the festive season passes as incident free as possible, for shoppers, retailers and the wider public. Securing our commitment to increasing our presence in identified areas within the Cowdenbeath area will help achieve that. With officers on the street engaging with the public in conjunction with the public space CCTV systems, I am confident we can play a positive role in preventing and detecting crime in the area.

“I would also like to take the opportunity to remind the public that the likelihood of property being stolen from parked cars increases at this time of year, most likely because purchases are often left in vehicles while people continue shopping. I would urge the public to be careful about leaving valuable items in unattended vehicles and in particular not to leave purchases and expensive items on open view.

“As part of our campaign, Police officers and community traffic wardens will be patrolling car parks to identify unattended vehicles with property left on view. Owners of such vehicles will be sent a letter highlighting the risks involved, as part of our commitment to prevent and further reduce this type of crime.

“Finally, on the festive season, I would like to stress the importance of personal safety for everyone taking in the festive spirit whilst out on the town or attending organised events. At this time of year it is common for individuals who don't normally drink, to consume more than they usually do.”

“My main message is to encourage everyone to be sensible about alcohol consumption. The following few simple tips can hopefully assist in keeping everyone safe and help to ensure their celebrations end on a happy note.”

1. Before setting out, ensure someone knows where you are going and travel arrangements are in place to get home. Ending up stranded in a town centre can be a lonely experience and places you in a vulnerable situation.

2. When in licensed premises, never accept a drink you have not seen being poured nor leave your drink unattended. Whilst not a common problem the possibility of drinks being spiked, in particular in relation to drug assisted sexual assault, still exists.

3. Leave the car at home. Drink driving can lead to tragic consequences at any time of the year. If public transport is not available and someone has to drive, identify at the outset a designated driver and ensure they do not drink alcohol during the evening.

4. Ensure your mobile telephone is fully charged and has credit prior to going out. A simple phone call can prevent undue concern for all.

Head of Communities Policing Division, Chief Supt. John Pow, said: "Our officers and staff will be working as hard during the Christmas period as they have throughout the rest of the year to make our communities safer. The public of Fife have made their policing priorities very clear to us over the last year and we will be doing our best to address these priorities. Recorded crime in Fife is now at a 35 year low, but we want to continue this trend and make sure that everyone has a happy and safe Christmas.

“As you would expect there are certain crimes that we will focus on, while the numbers of assaults in Fife have reduced this year, violence in the home and other private places is always a priority for the police service and we and our partners will do all that we can to support the victims and bring the offenders before the courts as quickly as possible. Shoplifting will also be a priority for us, this is not a victim-less crime as the cost of each item stolen has to be met by the law-abiding public of Fife at the tills. Drink driving is now socially unacceptable and we will vigorously enforce the law to tackle this.”

Fife Constabulary is committed to allowing you to directly influence local policing. You can have your say on local priorities by coming to the community engagement meeting in your area. Contact your local community team on 0845 600 5702 or visit www.fife.police.uk for details of your next meeting.