Ayrshire police bring a touch of Baywatch to the coast
Police Scotland’s brand new Kawasaki all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was unveiled to help tackle beach crime.
Police Scotland’s brand new Kawasaki all-terrain vehicle (ATV) was unveiled at the Walker hall, Troon, on 10th May.
The 4-seater ATV has been funded by South Ayrshire Council’s Community Safety Department and through outside grants and allows greater versatility on the coasts of South Ayrshire during our Safe Summer campaign.
Marked up in Police Scotland branding, the latest addition to our fleet is designed to cover difficult ground such as sand dunes, beaches, coastal scrub and rocky shorelines. The ATV will be able to help officers by providing a quick response to incidents in areas which can be difficult to access at speed.
For the second year, officers will tour the five-mile stretch of beach in the ATV between Troon, Prestwick and Ayr as part of the Safe Summer campaign to engage with visitors and the community but also to tackle any incidents of disorder, alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour, wildlife crime and vandalism.
The Safe Summer campaign has grown each year with as many as 25,000 people visiting the area in one day and we are working with partner agencies including South Ayrshire Community Safety team and British Transport Police to prevent and deter crime and disorder, ensure road networks are safe and that everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit.
Local Community Policing Sergeant Jim Dougall stated "The all-terrain vehicle is a great addition to our ‘Safe Summer’ campaign and proved really popular last year. This year the new vehicle has 4 seats which will allow greater deployment opportunities for officers.
“We’ll be on patrol around the beach and esplanade areas to provide a visible presence and will work with partners to prevent and deter crime and disorder and help free up the road networks so that everyone enjoys a safe and pleasant day out.”
Chief Inspector Eileen Taylor, Area Commander for South Ayrshire added ‘We are delighted that through effective partnership working with the South Ayrshire Council Community Safety Team we are able to provide this additional resource during the summer months to assist with the increase in visitors for our beaches and the Open Golf Championship at Troon.”
The ATV will be a valuable asset to our Summer Safer Shores campaign and assist officers to ensure that visitors to South Ayrshire’s attractive beaches have an enjoyable experience.’
As part of the Safe Summer campaign, police officers in South Ayrshire will conduct high visibility foot and cycle patrols in the area and work closely with partners including the British Transport Police, HM Coastguard Search and Rescue and the RNLI Lifeboat to ensure people visiting to, and visiting the coastline stay safe.