No alcohol, no antisocial behaviour – just fun in the sun!
That’s the message from Councils, emergency services, NHS and other partners in Ayrshire as the Ayrshire Safer Shores 2019 campaign launched today (Friday 24 May).
Ayrshire Safer Shores is a partnership initiative involving Abellio ScotRail, British Red Cross, British Transport Police, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, North and South Ayrshire Councils, Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, and Scottish Fire and Rescue.
The purpose of Safer Shores is to safeguard members of the public and others that visit the Ayrshire coast during ‘beach season’, ensuring people can travel safely, are safe from crime and disorder and have a pleasant visitor experience.
Alongside this, partners work to maintain Ayrshire’s status as a leading visitor destination and minimise any impact on local communities and have a comprehensive plan in place to help achieve this.
The plan sets out what partners will do to maximise public safety, minimise disorder and provide public reassurance to ensure everyone can enjoy Ayrshire’s safer shores over the summer.
This includes alcohol bans on trains running to and from the Ayrshire coast; extra Police Scotland and British Transport Police patrols on trains, in and around train stations, and on the beaches; increased community safety, environmental and Coastguard patrols; and enforcement of the no alcohol by-law in public places – including beaches.
Councillor Douglas Campbell, Leader of South Ayrshire Council, said: “Our beaches are fantastic places to spend a hot, sunny summer day and we love nothing more than seeing people out enjoying all that our stunning coastline has to offer. While we know the majority of people just want to enjoy the sunshine and a great day out, our Safer Shores campaign shows that we will not tolerate drinking or antisocial behaviour that has the potential to ruin that fun in the sun for everyone else including children, families, young people, local residents and visitors.
“The weather forecast is looking good for the summer and we look forward to working with our partners to ensure everyone can enjoy a happy and fun visit to our safer shores and have a day to remember for all the right reasons.”
Councillor Jim Montgomerie, Cabinet Member for Place at North Ayrshire Council, said: “We’re delighted to once again be working closely with our partners for Safer Shores 2019 and building on the success of last year’s campaign.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy our marvellous beaches and coastline without having their enjoyment spoiled by a small number of people. The Ayrshire coastline is a real jewel in the crown for us and we want all visitors and residents to be able to enjoy it in safety.”
Colin Martin, Operations Superintendent for Police Scotland’s Ayrshire Division, said: “Ayrshire’s beaches are popular tourist destinations for visitors and local residents over the summer months and we want to ensure that these areas can be enjoyed by everyone.
“By working collaboratively with partners on Safer Shores 2019, we are committed to working together to keep people safe by robustly tackling crime and antisocial behaviour as we did last year. In particular, we will be targeting alcohol abuse on beaches and transport networks, which will not be tolerated. As well as enforcement and confiscation, we are again working closely with partners in the licensing trade to ensure that legislation and practice in relation to off-sales is rigorously applied.
“We want to ensure that everyone has a safe and most importantly enjoyable visit to our Ayrshire beaches.”
You can keep up-to-date with the Ayrshire Safer Shores campaign by following the hashtag #AyrshireSaferShores on social media.