Councillors have heard how a wide range of community safety initiatives are helping to make Levenmouth's neighbourhoods safer, cleaner and more welcoming places to live.

A report presented to Levenmouth Area Committee on Wednesday (7 October) highlighted the positive impact delivered over the past year through the collaborative efforts of Fife Council's Safer Communities Team, local residents and partner organisations. Together, they have supported vulnerable people, tackled antisocial behaviour, improved local environments and strengthened connections within communities through a range of preventative and community-focused initiatives.

Key achievements highlighted in the report include:

• A reduction in residential antisocial behaviour cases, with complaints falling from 274 to 233 over the last year. Officers also maintained high service standards, making initial contact within agreed timescales in 94% of cases and resolving more than 91% of cases within target timescales.
• Increased support for vulnerable residents through the Fife Cares service, including a rise in home security visits from 60 to 83. These visits help people feel safer and more secure in their homes, while additional home safety advice has been provided to families with young children and vulnerable adults.
• Successful community engagement events, including the popular Community Safety Family Fun Day at Lochore Meadows, which brought together council services and partner organisations to provide practical safety advice, demonstrations and activities for families from across Fife. Officers also attended local meetings, gala days and community events throughout the year to listen to residents and respond to local concerns.
• Environmental improvements across local communities, including support for community litter-picking initiatives and action on fly-tipping, abandoned vehicles, dog fouling and other environmental issues. During the year, the service dealt with more than 1,000 environmental service requests, responding to 95% within target times and resolving 97% within agreed timescales.
• Positive work with young people through Youth Justice and prevention programmes, including new educational workshops on antisocial behaviour for primary school pupils, violence prevention sessions, suicide prevention training and targeted interventions for young people. Referrals to Youth Justice Officers also fell significantly during the year, from 34 to 14.
• Dog warden activity supporting responsible pet ownership and community wellbeing. The team dealt with reports of stray dogs, returned lost pets to owners and took action where concerns were raised about dog behaviour. Advice, warnings and Dog Control Notices were issued where necessary, while officers continued to promote responsible dog ownership and the importance of keeping microchip details up to date.
• Strong partnership working between council services, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, schools, housing services and local community organisations, helping to identify emerging issues early and coordinate action to improve safety and wellbeing across the area.

Councillor Alistair Suttie, Convener of the Levenmouth Area Committee, said: "It's easy to focus on the challenges communities face, but this report is a reminder of all the great work going on across Levenmouth every day.

"We've seen local people coming together to improve their neighbourhoods, support one another and work with services to make our communities safer and stronger. That's something we can all be proud of.

"I'd like to thank the many staff, volunteers and community groups whose dedication is making a genuine difference. Their work helps make Levenmouth not just a safer place to live, but a more welcoming and connected one too."

Residents can also keep up to date with community safety campaigns, local initiatives, events and advice by following the Safer Communities Fife Facebook page, which now has more than 12,000 followers and reached around three million views during the last reporting year.