Area Commander - Superintendent Gordon Dawson
Superintendent Gordon Dawson is the new Area Commander for Stirling and Clackmannanshire and took up the post on Monday December 19.
He replaces Superintendent Allan Douglas who has been promoted to Temporary Chief Superintendent with responsibilities for Specialist Operation and Governance.
Superintendent Dawson has 27 years service with the force and joined in 1984 as a constable in Bo'ness. He has worked in CID across the force and the Drugs Unit. He was Detective Chief Inspector responsible for the Crime and Drugs; the Sub Area Commander for Grangemouth and latterly the Director of Intelligence. He is recognised nationally for his work on internet safety and is a graduate of the Open University with a Bachelor of Law (Honours).
Supt Dawson said: "I am delighted to be in charge of policing Stirling and Clackmannanshire to lead a highly committed and motivated team of police officers, police staff and special constables. I am looking forward to building on the existing good working relationships with partners to improve the quality of life in our communities.
"I can assure everyone within Stirling and Clackmannanshire of our ongoing determination to stop anyone intent on criminal and antisocial behaviour, as well as our commitment to improving the lives of everyone who lives, works and visits our communities. I need people to continue coming forward with information and to keep telling us what the problems and issues area. Without this we can't do our job effectively."
Chief Inspector Bob Beaton manages day to day policing in Stirling sub-area command. Chief Inspector Kevin Findlater manages policing operations throughout Dunblane sub-area command.
Area Profile
Stirling Area Command covers a vast area from the mouth of the River Forth to the mountain tops of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The area has a population of 88,350 and covers 48 sq miles and follows the same boundaries as Stirling Council.
The heart of the Area Command is in the historic city of Stirling but features many communities including Bannockburn, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane to Callander, Balfron and Crianlarich. The city is home to one of Scotland's leading universities.
Policing
Stirling Area Command consist of two small sub-areas - one covering Stirling and the Eastern Villages around Bannockburn, the second based at Dunblane covering the western side of the area. The Superintendent is supported by two Chief Inspectors who oversee community inspectors and community policing teams responsible for responding to a wide range of challenges.
Performance
- Crime in Stirling Area Command during 2010 - 2011 fell by almost one per cent, with a total of 5139 crimes recorded and a detection rate of 57 per cent.
- Taken over a three year average, figures show a drop in recorded crime of 5.5 per cent (or 301 crimes).
- Crimes of Violence (Group 1) increased by 40 per cent with 141 crimes recorded and a detection rate of 92 per cent - the three year average also shows an increase which equates to an additional 23 crimes.
- Crimes involving Indecency (Group 2) rose by 22 per cent with 99 crimes recorded - 80 of those crimes (or 81 per cent) were detected and figures show a slight increase of 5 crimes when viewed over the three year average.
- Crimes involving Dishonesty (Group 3) show 2573 crimes recorded - a rise of 1 per cent with a detection rate of 46 per cent. When taken over a three year average, the increase equates to 2 per cent (or 38 crimes).
- Crimes involving Malicious Mischief (Group 4) fell by 12 per cent to 1219 recorded crimes with 37 per cent of these detected. This decrease is reflected in the three year average which shows a drop of 22 per cent or 335 crimes.
- Other Crimes (Group 5) includes bail offences and drugs. This group also covers weapons searches and reflects proactive policing. There was an increase of four per cent with 1107 crimes recorded and a detection rate of 98 per cent - this equates to 32 fewer crimes when taken over the three year average.
Use the links on the left to discover more about community policing in Stirling.
