Published on:
17
June 2013
The people of Clackmannan are being congratulated and thanked for their support of the Council's Dog Watch campaign which aims to combat the nuisance of dog fouling.
When the campaign started last month the Council emphasised that in order for it to be successful, the people of Clackmannan needed to play their part and assist us by reporting offences, displaying posters and even demonstrating zero tolerance of this element of antisocial behaviour by speaking to dog owners within their neighbourhood and encouraging them to behave responsibly.
And the community appear to have taken this message to heart.
Enterprise and Environment Convenor Councillor Donald Ballsillie said: "We've had a really positive response from the community and received some really good intelligence about the culprits which has helped the Council issue three fixed penalty notices. All information received is investigated. We have invested significant resources into this campaign and seen a marked improvement in the reduction of dog fouling on the streets of Clackmannan. For this improvement to be sustained, we need the community's continued support."
Dog Watch aims encourage the public to report when they witness an offence being committed. One of the main reasons that dog owners don't clear up after their dog is because they think there's not a Council officer watching. However, if the message gets out that the general public can take direct action to report offences, dog owners are far more likely to behave responsibly.
The Council is offering support to communities who are willing to assist by way of following up on reported offences, targeting areas of greatest complaint with uniformed and plain clothed patrols by the community wardens and animal welfare officer, who are amongst the Council officers who can and will issue Fixed Penalty Notices where necessary.
Prominent Dog Watch signs have been erected on lamp posts around Clackmannan, flyers and posters have been placed in local shops and businesses and letters have been sent to local residents appealing for their support. Eye catching Dog Watch chalk stencils have also been put on pavements in problem areas.
Councillor Balsillie, added: "The Council receives a lot of complaints about dog fouling and we know that people find it disgusting. In order for this campaign to work, we need local people to support and join us in the fight for cleaner streets - local people are our biggest asset in helping address this issue. If we have enough evidence, our officers will issue a fixed penalty notice.
"The Council is playing its part - we have provided almost 300 dog fouling bins across the Council area and dog fouling bags are available free from Council offices, CAPs, libraries, our animal welfare officer and our community wardens. Clackmannan Health Centre has also recently agreed to stock dog fouling bags. Almost 2 million dog bags are issue every year by the Council. You can use any bin to deposit dog fouling bags, including your green bin at home, so there really is no excuse."
To report details of a dog fouling offence please call 0500 545 540, email cat@clacks.gov.uk or use the 'report it' function on ClacksWeb.