Borders Police Chief Assures Partnership After Team Closure

Hey, listen to this local news. They formed the CAT in April 2018. This team handled minor issues like dog poop or bad parking. It also addressed small crimes in the area.

Last week, the council met up and decided to get rid of the team. This decision helps balance their finances. The CAT faced some criticism before, too, as not everyone thought it was a great thing.

Back in 2022, a councillor named Watson McAteer wanted it gone. He is now the council convener, by the way. The team doubled in size in 2020 and taxpayers paid £570,000 for this. McAteer questioned how well it worked.

A meeting happened on February 25th where Chief Inspector Stuart Fletcher spoke. He commands the local police. He said the police and council will still work together, and this partnership will remain strong in the future.

Fletcher believes CAT improved how groups communicate, including community representatives and the police. This affected how they work and the quality of life. He promised this communication will continue.

The CAT showed them some useful things and they can build on CAT’s success. The officers will all stay in the Borders region. They are figuring out how to improve policing.