Chief Officer’s Monthly Reflections: April 2023

by Lorraine Gillies, SCSN Chief Officer I love April, it’s the start of so much – spring, lighter evenings and mornings, new financial year, new plans.. This April though our plans have been slightly delayed.  The introduction of new a core grant funding process by the Scottish Government has taken it’s  a toll on us...

Home Safety Scotland Quarterly Update

by Kevin Chase, National Development Officer The last quarter has been an interesting one reaching out to groups and organisations who are providing some fantastic work within their respective communities.  These organisations vary from third sector, Local Authority and national organisations.  At the end of February I met with Roar For Life in Renfrewshire.  A...

Plumbers & Joiners: Police, Mental Health & Vulnerability

by Kevin Chase, National Development Officer On Friday 9th December, I attended the Police Mental Health and Vulnerability conference in Edinburgh, hosted by Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.Ā  Why?Ā  Having recently retired from the police, from my own experience it is one of the biggest challenges facing policing in Scotland today.Ā  I will...

How do you plan your plan?

Lorraine Gillies, SCSN Chief Officer I always think of January as a planning month. It’s when the Scottish Community Safety Network staff team and board sit down together and plan our activity for the year. The events we will deliver, the meetings we will facilitate, the briefing papers we intend to produce, the dates for...

What cyclists need to know about being environmentally responsible while cycling in Scotland Ā 

Scotland is one of the most beautiful cycling destinations in the world. From the testing terrains in the Highlands to the breathtaking views on its surrounding islands, there is so much to explore all across this cycling mecca.  Though cycling is already an environmentally-friendly hobby, there are certain things that you need to consider to...

Beyond Borders: All Island Community Safety Conference

by Dave Shea, Senior National Development Officer One of SCSN’s long-term development goals is to become a centre for excellence, domestically and internationally, for community safety; to share what we know, and learn from others. We’ve already made good links with counterparts in England, Wales and Norway, and made representations at a European conference earlier...

Monthly Reflections: SCSN Chief Officer

November 2022 I’m always impressed by Corporate Rebels. Their most recent piece gives an inspiring account of what’s possible, with great examples of how some employers are responding to rising inflation. In it, it talks about putting people first – we get that at SCSN, as we’ve written about before. Everyone now knows about our...

A new role, a new chapter

by Kevin Chase, SCSN’s new National Development Officer A new role a new chapter.  A fresh start. After a career in policing, why have I taken on a fantastic opportunity with the Scottish Community Safety Network especially the Home Safety Scotland portfolio?  I could list several reasons however I will focus on four.Ā  Firstly, it...

SCSN Reconnect Roadshow

by Dave Shea, Senior National Development Officer ā€˜Community Safety’ sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? A pairing of two plain, familiar words – nothing fancy or jargoned – presenting a simple sum of one plus one. But peel back the cover and there are storied chapters of complexity, authored by citizens and practitioners – people with knowledge...