GALASHIELS Community Council has been warned to expect issues with anti-social behaviour to get “worse in the winter” after concerns over policing were raised.

The matter was discussed at a meeting of the group this month, with sergeant Corrinne Bird in attendance.

Sgt Bird said the police had been dealing with some anti-social behaviour problems at the town’s transport interchange.

“We’re looking at trying to drive kids away from there,” she said. “It’s only going to get worse in the winter.”

A Police Scotland report is produced each month detailing incidents and reported crimes across Galashiels, and the outcome of any police response.

For a number of weeks community councillor Jane Mele has raised concerns about the number of officers in the town.

Sgt Bird confirmed at the meeting that she was the only designated community officer for Galashiels.

Ms Mele asked Sgt Bird about police response times and whether they could be included in future reports as a way of showing that the town needs more officer presence.

“Anti-social behaviour is an irritant that just is never-ending,” she said.

“For a town this size, if we knew response times the community council could just highlight it with your bosses and say Galashiels would like another officer.”

Sgt Bird said that providing response times could be “misleading” for a number of reasons, including officers having to prioritise certain reports over others.

But she added that names had been earmarked and were ready to go for two vacancies in the Borders, and it was “just a case of timing” until they were deployed.

On the anti-social issues, she said: “As soon as they [groups of children reportedly causing problems] see the police car they just scramble. If we turn up and they’re just hanging out somewhere and we’re not witnessing some criminal actions, we have no power to take action.”

Community councillor Bill White said that “small-scale crime is rising and detection rates are not rising”.

“No one is on the beat,” he said. “It’s just going to get worse. It’s a Scottish Government thing.”

Concerns have been raised nationally after the Scottish Government proposed giving the criminal justice sector, including the police, a total of £11.6bn over the next four years. This would see most services receive the same amount of cash every year but would mean a cut in real terms due to inflation.

Justice secretary Keith Brown said: “Our largely fixed budgets and limited fiscal powers means the UK Government needs to provide the Scottish Government with sufficient funding to support public services and the economy in these difficult times.

“Despite UK Government austerity we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17 and have invested more than £10 billion in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “The responsibility for funding public services is largely devolved across the UK, but we have provided the Scottish Government with a record £41 billion per year for the next three years – the highest spending review settlement since devolution.”