There were 52 reported crimes in Berwickshire from January 27 - February 21, 2010, the period since the last Area Committee meeting.
Following some good work Inspector Etherson said that 31 of these crimes have been solved with a detection rate of 60%.

During the month there was a wide range of crimes from drugs offences and serious assault to drink driving offences.

In the three Berwickshire sections there were 111 calls to the Duns office, 149 calls to Eyemouth and 66 Calls to Coldstream.

Notable crimes included drugs offences and Inspector Etherson's report emphasised that there had been sustained effort by officers in relation to the misuse of drugs. A couple of house searches under Misuse of Drugs Act warrants had been carried out and a number of people had been reported for possession, supply and cultivation.

Several empty properties were the subject of recent break-ins and copper had been stolen. Several thefts of copper had been reported and all enquiries are continuing.

Inspector Etherson reported that a man had been detained and charged for a serious assault in Duns. He was detained in custody pending a court appearance and was remanded to HM Prison Edinburgh.

Two youths were also reported for a racial breach of the peace following an incident in Eyemouth.

The report said that there was one serious road traffic accident in Eyemouth and the male driver remains in a serious condition.
Several incidents of drink driving were also reported.

Inspector Etherson added that a road traffic initiative had taken place on February 10 on the A1.

This was a joint departmental effort with Divisional, CID and officers from Roads Policing taking part and resulted in numerous vehicles stopped and persons charged with minor road traffic offences. This was also an opportunity to provide road safety advice to drivers.

The first anniversary of Mathew Dyet's disappearance from Eyemouth was noted. This case still remains open and a media release had been given as well as a further poster campaign appealing for anyone with any knowledge of the whereabouts of Mr Dyet, or any information which would assist the enquiry, to contact police.

The continued message of public vigilance with regard to bogus type callers was again highlighted, with the report stressing that if members of the public have any concerns they should note registration numbers of motor vehicles and descriptions of the people.

Members of the public were reminded not to allow access to their homes; they should ask for identification and if possible contact companies to verify who the callers claim to be representing.

Inspector Etherson added that the police would rather attend a call which is made with good intent, and encouraged people to phone if they are unsure.

The report concluded by saying that in the coming year the primary aim will be to support the Chief Constable's strategy towards a more preventative style of policing, which will involve close working with partnership agencies in a number of important areas, many of which will target the causes of anti-social behaviour and take action to reduce the effects.