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In the Dunoon Project Town the activities have included:

• Participation in the Dunoon Shaping Places for Wellbeing Steering Group
• Sharing of data insights
• Doing a Place and Wellbeing Assessment of the Local Policing Plan

The work was seen as a test for considering how to bring local insight and a place approach into the planning work of Police Scotland. The learning is now being shared across project towns and through the partnership at a national level.

How we worked together

Police Scotland have been an active partner in the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme through the Dunoon Project Town activities. The Local Policing Plan was in development for 2023–28 and it was suggested by the Steering Group as being a priority to support with a Place and Wellbeing Assessment.

Laura Evans, Partnerships Officer for Argyll and Bute is a member of the Steering Group and has been contributing local knowledge, insight on local police data and specific awareness of issues related to community safety. Laura was really positive about the potential benefit of using the assessment to bring a place and wellbeing perspective to the Plan.

The Local Policing Plan uses a national template which is adapted for each local authority area and identifies locally specific actions informed by data and the Your Police Survey. (Read the Argyll and Bute Local Policing Plan.) The original intention had been to do a Place and Wellbeing Assessment before the plan was signed off in May 2023, but the timing didn’t work out. Instead, the assessment focused on suggested amendments to the actions to be incorporated in a scrutiny report, which will be submitted in March 24.

The assessment session, which took place in June 2023 brought together a wide range of partners from the statutory and third sector who had different perspectives on safety and represented the key inequality areas identified through the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme Dunoon Data Profiles. This included people with knowledge of mental health and addiction services and support needs. Additionally, the Community Link Lead brought local insight from the qualitative data captured and conversations with community organisations.

The recommendations based on the discussion in the session considered how the plan could be further strengthened to deliver on the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes. This included themes of:

• extending existing partnership work, particularly with community organisations
• including how the work of the police contributed to people feeling safe – specifically young people, people experiencing mental health issues and people with dementia.
• addressing the specific challenge of policing in a rural context

Participants who took part in an evaluation of the assessment were positive about the process, learning from other partners and increasing understanding of the outcomes.

"Helpful to see where there are crossovers in pieces of work and pull in the same direction." (Assessment Participant)

It was felt that it was a significant benefit to Police Scotland to have that insight and hear the different perspectives, including the views of the third sector. There are sometimes challenges to get people to engage with the process of developing the plan and the assessment process was seen as making an important contribution, making the plan less ‘police speak’ and highlighting areas they might not have considered before.

"It was good to have an organisation willing to come in that didn’t have connection to the police – for them to give views on it. People often say what they think we want to hear." (Assessment Participant)

While assessing the Plan after it had been signed off still added value, the desirable way forward would be to undertake an Assessment earlier. This was the first Place and Wellbeing Assessment of a Local Police Plan in Scotland, and it was felt that it should be considered for roll out to other areas in the next strategic planning cycle.