Crime map weekly: Clarkston, Stamperland and Busby

Here are last week’s crime incidents for the Clarkston, Stamperland and Busby area.

Each week the Mercury will bring you the overall picture. Just click on the arrows in the map above to see what took place where.

Here are the incidents in text format:

Break in to garage – between 1000 25/3 and 1330 25/3 in Queensbury Avenue, Clarkston force door lock enter and steal gold coloured mountain bike from within.

Car theft – Between 2000 23/3 and 0800 24/3 in Queensbury Avenue, Clarkston – enter insecure Hyundai M/V and steal torch from within..

Suspect Person – About 2325 on 23/3 in Mearns Road, Clarkston, After described disturbed in circumstances that suggested he was there to commit theft – Male white European, 5’06” slim Build short thinning hair dark Beige Trousers and Beige coloured jacket.

Car theft – About 0110 on 22 in Kilpatrick Gardens. Clarkston – smash front passenger door of red Ford Focus M/V and steal CD player from within. Suspect male White European, 25 years 5’08”, medium build, white coloured top.

Car Theft – between 1800 20/3 and 1015 21/3 in Mearns Road, Clarkston – steal number plate from VW Passat M/V

Car Theft – Between 1430 21/3 and 1710 21/3 in Mearns Road, Clarkston steal rear number plate from BMW M/V..

Incident of note – about on 1500 25/3 in Moray Drive, Stamperland a 20 year old male was arrested having found in possession of a lock back knife

Louise is council’s customer champion

East Renfrewshire Council have appointed Louise Smith as head of customer and business change services.
The new post puts the University of Strathclyde politics and psychology graduate in charge of a portfolio – including the council’s Customer First service, hall letting, registrar service and policy, within an overall remit of driving forward efficiency and public service excellence across the council.
Louise now lives in Glasgow, however she is originally from Ayr – where she attended Belmont Academy before joining East Renfrewshire Council as an assistant policy officer in 1999, and has worked her way up the policy grades in order to get where she is today.
Louise said: “I will be working hard to ensure that the service we give to our customers continues to be first class and that we continue to improve the way we deliver services.
“Our drive for efficiency and public service excellence comes at a time when economic factors make it more vital than ever for the council to make every penny we spend count. I am looking forward enormously to taking this challenging remit forward.”

Street drinkers face stricter by-law

Street drinkers in East Renfrewshire are set to face a stricter bye-law banning drinking in public.
Councillors have given the green light to make it illegal for anyone to have an open container of alcohol in any public place.
Previously police in East Renfrewshire could only issue a £40 fixed penalty notice to anyone caught drinking alcohol in public, however the new bye-law brings East Renfrewshire into line with other councils and empowers police to now deal with street drinkers by issuing the tickets to anyone with a bottle or can of alcohol which has been opened. An unpaid ticket automatically rises to £60.
An average of ten fixed penalty tickets are issued every week in East Renfrewshire under the council’s existing bye-law which was introduced in 1998. Councillors decided to review it following complaints from the public about an increasing level of street drinking and disorder.
East Renfrewshire’s police chief, Superintendent John McDougall, and licensing board chair, Councillor Elaine Green, are both backing the move with the hope to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Petrol Prices Daily

Morrisons/Giffnock: 88.9p

Esso/Drumby Service Station: 89.9p

Esso/Sunningdale Service Station: 90.9p

Bp/Newton Mearns Service Station: 91.9p

Property prices weekly: Clarkston area

Here are the February house sales in the G76 area, including Clarkston, Busby, Netherlee and Stamperland.

Each week the Mercury will bring you the latest house prices from each area. Just click on the arrows in the map above to see how much the houses are going for.

Here’s the list in text format:

2009-02-06
67 Beechwood Avenue, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 7XD
£125,000

2009-02-17
1 Cartsbridge Road, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 8DP
£110,000

2009-02-27
16 Hillend Crescent, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 7XX
£143,500

2009-02-24
84 Hillview Drive, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 7JD
£205,000

2009-02-04
24 Queensberry Avenue, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 7DX
£217,000

2009-02-11
1 Randolph Avenue, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 8AR
£155,000

2009-02-09
148 Stamperland Gardens, Clarkston, Glasgow, G76 8LL
£132,000

Busby Community Council report

FUNDING has been approved to re-open Busby public toilets.
John Bunclark confirmed at a Busby Community Council meeting that in total, £6,000 has been given to help clean up and re-open the Clarkston Toll toilets to the general public.
The matter will be discussed at the next meeting.

BUSBY’S train station is set for a cash boost to provide access for the disabled.
East Renfrewshire Council have been successful in a bid to gain 50 per cent funding for the works application to make the station compliant with wheelchair access.
Councillor Alan Lafferty told Busby Community Council the council require access from above on privately owned ground.
But he added he was optimistic the project will get the green light within the financial year.

BUILDING work will soon be underway on the Isobel Mair School.
The school is to benefit from the East Renfrewshire Council’s funded project.
Developers at Greenlaw have not yet put the services in but the work is set to go ahead in the near future.

CLEANSING options are being looked at to deal with litter in Busby.
Locals have raised the issue of litter in hedging from Fairfield Drive to Newford Grove.
At the last meeting of Busby Community Council, Councillor Alan Lafferty vowed to explore options available to clean up the area.

Flower power fights knife crime

Two top talkers from Woodfarm High School used flower power to fight knife crime.
Sophie Kelly and Fiona Hendry won a place in the regional final of Victim Support Scotland’s schools public speaking competition.
Third year pupils Sophie and Fiona, both 14, wowed judges with their presentation – which used a plant to show that the only way to tackle knife crime was to get to the root of the problem.
East Renfrewshire community police Inspector Kate Jackson said: “All the school presentations were to a very high level but Sophie and Fiona’s very visual approach of rooting out the problem of knife crime by tackling it at source won the day.
“This competition helps highlight the dangers of knife crime to young people.”
The duo beat off stiff opposition from St Ninian’s, Eastwood, St Luke’s and Barrhead High School teams to take the East Renfrewshire heat of the competition – giving them the opportunity to win £10,000 for Woodfarm if they win the national final later this year.

Closure of Giffnock Station Road and Station car park

Station Road and Giffnock station car park will be closed from Sunday 5 to Thursday 9 April for resurfacing and relining.
Park and ride facilities will be suspended while the improvements are carried out and roads chiefs are encouraging drivers to walk to the station or to park elsewhere.
East Renfrewshire Council’s roads chief, Joe Devine, said: “We apologise for the initial restrictions starting on Sunday on Station Road and for the closure of the road on and from Sunday 5 April.
“This will let us replace a badly worn surface and reline the car park. There is no alternative but to close the road and I ask all road users to take extra care around the works.”
This follows the recent work on the pavements on Station Road which saw access to the station car park reduced to one lane with traffic light control.

Brave Mathew’s bike joy

Little Mathew George is barely able to use his legs – but that hasn’t stopped the brave tot from getting on his bike!
Thornliebank tot Mathew has major lower limb deformities, resulting in him being unable to power a trike using his legs.
But this specially designed bike can be powered by Mathew using his upper body.
It will allow him to ride independently and join in with his twin brother Sam as they ride the streets of Thornliebank!
East Renfrewshire Good Causes has provided part funding for the mini ‘trilo’ trike.
Mathew lives with Sam and their mum Yvonne McBurnie in a specially adapted flat, provided by Arklet housing association.
The bike was provided by a local company called Theraplay in Darnley.
The total cost of trike was £500, of which ERGC paid £400 and Yvonne & family contributed £100.
ERGC Russell MacMillan said: “All our ERGC standing order supporters will look forward to Mathew and Sam cycling around Rouken Glen Park.
“The more people that support us financially, the more local good causes we can help.”
If you are able to run a fundraising event or to sign up to become a supporter from as little as £5 per month, please contact Russell Macmillan on r.mac@talktalk.net or on 639 8230.

Schools’ spring events

Spring is in the air this week as Crookfur’s P4 pupils are holding a Daffodil Tea.
Parents will be invited to the event on Thursday.
And on Saturday there will be a ‘Twinning Coffee Morning” with the pupils of St Caddocks Primary from 10am to 12pm.
The partnership between the schools has now been going for three years, with a focus on friendship and breaking down barriers.
Crookfur head teacher Fiona Loudon said: “It used to be that children living in the same street didn’t speak with each other because they went to different schools, the twinning project has put that right.”
And next Thursday there will be a ceilidh for the P7 pupils of both schools, to be held at Eastwood High. Music will be provided by the secondary’s school’s own band.
Recently, Crookfur pupils also held an art exhibition, where the kids’ artwork was framed by the Images Art company, and parents were invited to a special night to see the finished work, with the chance to buy the paintings if they wished.