Police Call for action to clean up Rose Garden

DUNOON’S ROSE Garden is being used as a meeting place for young people to engage in anti-social behaviour and drug use and local police have now published a special report for community leaders on how the space can be made safer.

During Monday night’s meeting of Dunoon Community Council a special presentation by PC Michael Cunningham detailed a catalogue of suggestions as to what is needed to clean up the town’s Rose Garden.

During his report to community councillors PC Cunningham highlighted the fact that a large area of vegetation behind the Doctor’s surgery on Argyll Street wasn’t covered by CCTV. Its understood that area of the Rose Garden has become a favourite meeting place for youths engaging in anti-social behaviour and drug use.

Inadequate lighting in key areas of the garden is also a major problem along with overgrown trees obstructing visibility, large amounts of litter and graffiti on nearby buildings.

Reading from the report PC Cunningham listed recommendations police are now making to community and council leaders which include; the installation of additional street lighting in the area, more CCTV cameras in key locations covering hot spots where youths are currently gathering, the trimming of trees to improve sight lines, an increase in the number of waste bins and the prompt removal of graffiti from buildings.

In addition, to curb anti- social behaviour and drug useinthearea,policearealso recommending they increase their presence in known hot spots, provide appropriate disposal facilities for drug related waste and to partner with local organisations to address the root causes of substance abuse.

 Concluding his presentation PC Cunningham said: “To address these concerns a multi-pronged approach is recommended, including improvements in lighting and surveillance and engagement with local youth services to deter antisocial behaviour. It is essential to act quickly to mitigate the negative impact on the local community and ensure a safer and more welcoming environment.”

Following the presentation community councillors offered up some of their own suggestions as to how these issues could be effectively tackled. Joint deputy leader of Argyll and Bute Council Ross Moreland explained that he would relay the recommendations the police report set out to council officers.

He said: “I have a meeting with the council’s road department about this and a few other issues so I’ll have a better idea what the local authority can do about this next month.”

Back in 2018 community organisation Dunoon Regeneration Party, through help from local firm Argyll Forestry Ltd gave the Rose Garden a much needed makeover and the group had plans to open up the area as a more usable green space, but since then the garden has deteriorated but its hoped these police recommendations can restore the area to it’s former glory.