NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Use 19 November 2009a TAYSIDE’S FIXED PENALTY NOTICES DISGRACE 885 cases of urinating or defecating in a public place in Tayside; 2,149 cases of Breach of the Peace in Tayside; 315 cases of consumption of alcoholic liquor in a public place in contravention of Local Bye-law in Tayside; 258 cases of vandalism: these are some of the figures unearthed by the Scottish Conservatives on Fixed Penalty Notices, the first full year for which the data is available. Mid-Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser is shocked and alarmed at the number of people in Tayside who have received Fixed Penalty Notices for the offences. The figures show that last year 3,712 people in Tayside were issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice: the second highest figure of Scotland’s Police Forces, second only to Strathclyde. Commenting, Murdo said: “It is shocking to learn that almost nine hundred Fixed Penalty Notices were handed down last year to people in Tayside for urinating or defecating in a public place. The people of Perthshire will be astonished and alarmed by these figures. To make matters worse, these statistics are almost certainly an underestimate of the problem, as they record only those actually caught. “I believe that if these perpetrators in Tayside are not worried about the consequences, then they will not be worried about their actions. We need to send out a much stronger message to discourage this type of behaviour as the majority of law-abiding people in Perthshire should not have to put up with this. “It is very worrying to learn that there have also been 2,149 cases of Breach of the Peace in Tayside and 315 cases of consuming alcohol in a public place where it is banned by a local bye-law in Tayside. “Tayside Police officers carry out a magnificent job and are committed to stamping out this type of disgusting behaviour and crime. It is due to their hard-work and dedication that there has been a high number of people caught and issued with Fixed Penalty Notices.” ENDS   back to top of page