[Falkirk, 03.11.2025] Falkirk MP Euan Stainbank has written to both Police Scotland Forth Valley and Falkirk Council, calling for a dedicated community police officer to be deployed to support residents of the High Flats area, following growing concerns about safety, anti-social behaviour, and the pressures on Police Scotland.
Mr Stainbank, who has represented the High Flats community for over three years initially as a Councillor and now as an MP, said the issue of community safety has been raised with him time and time again, particularly by elderly and vulnerable residents who feel unsafe in their own homes.
Mr Stainbank said:
“I’ve represented the High Flats community for three and a half years, and concerns about community safety have come up time and time again. The community police officers we have in Falkirk are excellent but with growing concern in this community and stretched Police Scotland resources we need a creative solution.
“We do not need to survey the community to understand what their overwhelming priority is. I’ve held a surgery there every month since July 2022 and advocated relentlessly on the behalf of individuals, and we now need action not more questions.
“However, it’s clear that a small number of disruptive tenants continue to cause significant distress. These individuals are exploiting the goodwill of their neighbours and of vulnerable people who visit them, and that cannot continue.”
Mr Stainbank said that while Falkirk Council had been willing to engage with residents, more action and resources are now urgently needed:
“I welcome that Falkirk Council came to the table in August with the commendable petitioners and myself, but what the community doesn’t need is another survey — it needs resources and visible action. That’s why I, along with the petitioners from the High Flats, am calling for a dedicated community police officer to work proactively with residents and provide reassurance that their safety is being taken seriously.”
He also raised concerns about the allocations process, arguing that there must be greater transparency about how housing decisions consider the unique character of the High Flats community.
Mr Stainbank continued:
“Allocations are rightly not in the hands of elected officials, but we need more transparency about whether the specific needs of this community — such as close proximity living, 85 to 90 households all sharing the same front door and a predominantly elderly population — are being properly considered when properties are allocated.”
Mr Stainbank’s letters to Chief Inspector Alex Hattrick of Police Scotland Forth Valley and Kenny Gillespie, Head of Housing and Communities at Falkirk Council, propose the co-funding of a pilot scheme for a permanent, full-time community-based police officer to serve the Callander Park, High Flats, and Kemper Avenue areas — similar to the model used for School Based Officers.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
- Mr Stainbank’s joint letter with the High Flats Petioners to Chief Inspector Alex Hattrick of Police Scotland Forth Valley is available here.
- Mr Stainbank’s letter to the High Flats Petitioners to Kenny Gillespie, Head of Housing and Communities at Falkirk Council is available here.
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