Police will be visiting islands on Loch Lomond during the busy tourist season, a senior officer said this week.
Inspector Roddy MacNeill of Police Scotland said the move would be ‘very worthwhile given the substantial increase in the use of both powered and non-powered craft on the water’.
He added that Operation Balaton, had now been launched – a multi-agency project also including British Transport Police, firefighters, councils, ScotRail and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority.
“This is the operation to ensure we provide the most effective policing model to deal with the large increase in footfall across the area during the summer months,” he said in a report to Argyll and Bute Council’s Helensburgh and Lomond area committee.
“It was very successful last year and has been effective so far again this season.
“From this weekend officers will be deployed with the Argyll and Bute warden to carry out joint patrols at a large number of sites across Helensburgh and Cowal to engage with and educate visitors to the area and deter anti-social behaviour.”
He added that police were also carrying out joint patrols with national park rangers on Loch Lomond to check that the public were acting safely and complying with byelaws, adding: “This also allows for a police presence on the islands during the course of the shift.”
Inspector MacNeill said police were checking vehicle speeds at well-known ‘hot spots’ and the speed camera in Cardross should be operational in a few weeks, following delays with its power source.
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