Cowdenbeath Councillor Darren Watt has called for more action to be taken to try and prevent the anti-social behaviour that has been a constant issue in the area.

This follows concerns being raised by residents to the community council in regard to the behaviour of young people in the area.

Cllr Watt said: “Anti-social behaviour and vandalism in the local area isn’t anything new, unfortunately. We’ve still not managed to address any of the concerns of the residents who have become increasingly frustrated as its becoming more regular year on year.

"We just have to make sure we are taking more action and putting preventative measures in place.”

Earlier this month, Cllr Watt highlighted a incident of a fire being started at the play area in Cowdenbeath Public Park. 

Another area that was pinpointed by Cllr Watt was the War Memorial.

Cllr Watt said: “We need to think about restricting access to the war memorial, particularly in winter months when it seems to be more targeted. It’s not just a target for vandalism, but it’s also a place where young people tend to hang out because of it’s secluded and isolated location.

Central Fife Times: Cowdenbeath War Memorial has been a target for anti-social behaviour.Cowdenbeath War Memorial has been a target for anti-social behaviour. (Image: Newsquest)

"Back in August, Cllr Bailey-Lee Robb had announced that a new metal bin would be put in place at the site in an attempt to reduce the littering in the area. There have been several incidents in recent years including wheelie bins being set on fire and dumped by the monument causing great damage which took a year to fix, and four youths being arrested after ripping up wreaths and scattering them around the site.”

Cllr Watt felt there wasn’t a clear solution to the issues the area is facing, adding: “I don’t think there’s one silver bullet to address it. There are concerns that there’s not enough places for young people to go, but I would never allow that to be an argument for the type of behaviour that we’ve seen in our community in recent weeks, months, and even years.”

The behaviour of young people in the area is clearly an issue that the council are aware of, however Cllr Watt explained some of the reasons why it is so challenging to tackle and offered advice to parents: “It’s something that me and my colleagues, as well as the community partners take very seriously and do try to address but there’s not an overall solution to deter such anti-social behaviour.

“With police and youth workers being short on numbers, ultimately the responsibility lies not just with the young people but their parents and carers themselves to be aware where their kids are and what they’re actually doing.”

There is a concern that this is a Fife-wide issue, with Cllr Watt claiming some of the recent instances of such behaviour have been from youths from surrounding areas visiting the town.

“We’re seeing kids from all over Fife travelling on the 19 bus causing a disturbance on the service and the villages it stops off at," he said. "It’s not even something where the police can pinpoint where there’s going to be any issues as it’s a constant moving picture.”

Sergeant John Nicol, from Cowdenbeath Police Station, said: “We are aware of a recent rise in reports of youths involved in antisocial behaviour in the Cowdenbeath area.

“We are working closely with Fife Council Safer Communities Team and a number of partner agencies to address these issues. Our patrols will continue with officers providing reassurance to the local community as well as engaging with young people to discourage this type of behaviour.

“We are committed to supporting the local community and will take the appropriate action when incidents are reported and offenders identified.

“Anyone who witnesses any incidents is encouraged to contact police by calling 101 or online via www.scotland.police.uk as promptly as possible.”