those working on their behalf. In Edinburgh, as part of a variety of a city wide remits, our Specialist Services are dealing with the problem on a daily basis, they have devised operational routes which are checked and appropriate action is taken as and when necessary to remove fly-posting wherever possible.
Short term - Access the possibility of using mobile CCTV cameras in hotspots to monitor, identify and pursue offenders.
Medium Term - Gather evidence and profile habitual offenders for further action.
Long Term - Refer the evidence files to Licensing requesting stronger action and/or report the businesses to the Procurator Fiscal.
Other actions to date:
We are working in partnership with City Centre in relation to Fly postingwithin the Centre/ South (cross boundary neighbourhood issue)
Police two weeks ago arrested 2 people for fly posting
Meeting with Legal Services held on Thursday 28 Feb in relation to pursuing ASBO's for the individuals responsible for the majority of fly posting in the city centre area
Joint partnership approach between CEC and Police in order to tackle this issue and in absence of any effective legislation we propose going down the route of Dundee, Aberdeen,Falkirk and Glasgow by introducing Advertising boards in order for the clubs to promote their events.
Met with Planning Department who are in favour of this pilot scheme
It was decided there would be three sites (1 at Briso Square, 1 at Lothian Road and another one to be identified by the Unight group of clubs)
Edinburgh University-Pollock Halls are amenable to the idea of an advertising board within their grounds and Steve is meeting with them next week to discuss further
The next stage is to complete the advertising consent forms and submit to planning along with a paper on how the scheme is going to be managed
The process is likely to take 5 weeks
Cabaret Volataire will use their in house graphic designer to enhance the look of the advertising board and will include the CEC, Police and Unight logo
A sight meeting is to be organised between CEC,Police and a member of Unight to look at the location for the boards
A protocol about what the clubs are allowed to advertise and the management of the scheme and what they can expect from CEC/Police expect from them to be drafted as well
The consent forms will be completed next week along with the background report. We will liaise with Planning to make sure we have covered everything they would like covered, with the intention to get the advertising boards erected as soon as possible thereafter.
Planning already submitted a report 2 years ago suggesting the use of advertising boards as a pilot project and this was approved, although there has been no progress up until now.
There is an expectation that we will be in a position to feedback on the positive impact the boards have had in tackling fly posting in order planning can advise committee.
Over the above city approach locally we are targeting Holyrood Road site and working in partnership with CCTV. Cameras at this locus are in rest positions, in an attempt to catch and identify persistent offenders and we are targeting sites in Tollcross and are monitoring fly posting activity in the area.
Kathy Evans - Local Safety Officer
