Minutes of Meeting - 25 March 2025

The minutes of the Community Council meeting held on Tuesday 25 March 2025 can be viewed or download by clicking here.

The next meeting of the Community Council will be at the Airyhall Community Centre at 7pm on Tuesday 22 April 2025

ALL WELCOME

Chairs Charity Walk

Naomi Mandel, the Chair of the Community Council is taking part in this year's Kiltwalk.

Naomi and three other friends, one of whom had suffered from a Brain tumour about a year ago, are raising money in aid of "The Brain Tumour Charity".

The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives.

The Charity say that they are set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And are doing it right now. They understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumour a cure really can't wait

You can help by sending a donation to the ladies via their "just giving pages"

To sponsor Naomi open the QR code above or go to www.justgiving.com/page/naomi-mandel-2

To sponsor the group open the QR code above or go to www.justgiving.com/team/brainiacs

Lunch and Learn sessions

The University of Aberdeen School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition are hosting a series of 30 minute Lunch & Learn fortnightly sessions on key health research topics aimed at Public Patient Involvement & Engagement (PPIE) partners, community members and non-academics.

The series is led by Dr Kathryn Martin, PPIE Academic Lead for the School and will run until June ’25.

Details of the free sessions and how to register can be viewed by clicking here.

The sessions will be online using he Microsoft Teams app.

Police Report - March 2025

The following report has been received from our Police Scotland Community Policing Team. 

Crime Overview
We are pleased to announce improvements in the way statistics are provided to 
Community Councils. Previously, the manual generation of stats due to misalignment 
between Community Council boundaries and Police beat codes led to occasional 
inaccuracies and was time-consuming. Now, the North East Police division will provide
data that aligns with police beat codes, some of which encompass multiple Community
Council areas. Additionally, beat code maps will be available for reference. We have also updated previous data to ensure comparable statistics are readily accessible.

In the Braeside and Mannofield community, there were a total of 161 calls in February 2025. This is an increase of 68 calls compared to January 2025. Calls to Police predominantly related to non-criminal matters including, concern for persons, missing persons, assisting the public and false calls with good intent. As a result of these incidents, and proactive Police activity, 22 crimes were recorded in the Braeside and Mannofield community during January 2025. This is the same number of crimes since December 2024.

Crime Type	Oct 24	Nov 24	Dec 24	Jan 25	Feb 25	Mar 25	Apr 25	May 25	Jun 25
Drugs	0	0	0	0	2
Vandalism	0	0	0	0	0
Assault	0	2	6	2	2
Theft	5	3	4	6	18
RTO	11	9	8	9	13

Antisocial behaviour, Violence and Disorder

On 14 February 2025, at a premises on Great Western Road, Aberdeen, a store assistant was threatened when they attempted to detain a shop lifter. The store assistant made an attempt to stop the shoplifter from leaving the premises however was threatened with violence which caused them fear and alarm. This was reported to Police and enquiries are currently ongoing to identify the suspect.

Acquisitive Crime
On 02 February 2025, at a premises on Countesswells Road, Aberdeen, there was a theft by shoplifting. The suspect entered the store, selected items and scanned them at the self service till. The suspect then made no effort to pay and left the store. The value of items stolen is £99.37. The incident is captured on CCTV and enquiries are currently ongoing.

On 20 February 2025, in the area of Morningside Avenue, Aberdeen, Police received a report of theft of motor vehicle. The owner advised that they locked and secured their vehicle within their driveway before later finding it stolen. The vehicle was found by Police abandoned a short distance from the owner’s home address and was forensically uplifted. Enquiries are ongoing. 

The community should remain vigilant and consider the following advice.
 Ensure all vehicles and property are secured when not in use.
 Consider the installation of CCTV cameras covering private property.
 Ensure that you are comfortable with the identity of persons before providing personal information over the telephone. If in doubt, hang up contact Police via 101 for further advice.

Road Safety & Road Crime
On 02 February 2025, in the area of Thorngrove Avenue, Aberdeen, Police stopped a motor vehicle and found the driver to be a provisional license holder only and was unaccompanied. The driver was cautioned, charged and reported to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to driving unaccompanied, not displaying “L” plates and having no valid insurance.

On 10 February 2025, Roads Policing Units were carrying out proactive patrols in the area of North Deeside Road, Aberdeen when they stopped a vehicle being driven without a valid MOT certificate. The driver was issued with a conditional offer resulting in a £100 fine.

On 20 February 2025, Roads Policing Units were carrying out proactive patrols in the area of Great Western Road, Aberdeen. At this time, they observed a driver using their mobile phone whilst driving. The vehicle was stopped and the driver issued and accepted a conditional offer resulting in 6 penalty points and a £200 fine.

Road safety remains a priority for the North East Police Division, and local resources will continue to undertake high visibility proactive patrols to ensure your roads are safe.

Community Safety Advice
Flying on a Budget? Don't Get Grounded by Scammers
Several North East residents have recently fallen foul of scammers whilst booking flights. Finding a cheap flight can be exciting, but falling victim to a travel scam can quickly turn your dream trip into a nightmare. Online travel scams are becoming increasingly common, so it's crucial to be vigilant.

Here are some tips to protect yourself:

• Always compare the price on the suspected deal with the airline's official website. Significant discrepancies are a major red flag. 
• Legitimate companies maintain professional websites, look for typos, grammatical errors, and unprofessional design. 
• Social media ads or pop-ups advertise flights at impossibly low rates to lure victims in with "Too Good to Be True" offers, be wary of prices that are significantly lower than competitors.
• While some last-minute deals exist, be highly sceptical of incredibly low prices for flights departing within a few days.
• Check contact information, look for a physical address, phone number, and email address. Try to contact them directly to verify their legitimacy. 
• Scammers have been known to post fake helpline numbers online, posing as airline agents to extract payment or personal data.
• Stick to known platforms and book through well-established and reputable registered travel agencies, check reviews from other travellers about the agency or platform.
• In the UK, travel companies primarily need to be registered with an "Air Travel Organiser's Licence" (ATOL) if they plan to sell flights, which is a mandatory requirement to protect consumers in case the company goes bankrupt
• Paying with a credit card offers more protection against fraud than debit cards. You can dispute charges if the transaction turns out to be fraudulent.
• Always check for hidden fees and beware of hidden costs like baggage fees, seat selection fees, and credit card processing fees.

If you believe you may have been a victim of a scam, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
In the UK you can forward scam text message to OFCOM on 7726 (free of charge), and forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk

Community Concerns
Please take the opportunity to let us know of any community concerns or issues in order that we can explore these issues and take action to address your concerns.

Any updates will be fed back to the Community Council in future reports.

Contact Us

Please also remember you can contact us using any of the following:
🕾 101 – Non emergency;
🖱 Email - AberdeenSouthCPT@scotland.police.uk
🖱 X previously known as Twitter - @NorthEPolice
🖱 Facebook – www.facebook.com/NorthEastPoliceDivision
🖱 Web – www.scotland.police.uk
🕾 999 – Emergency;
🕾 0800 555 111 - Crimestoppers;

Meeting 25 March 2025 - Agenda

The next meeting of the Community Council will be at 7pm prompt on Tuesday 25 March 2025 at the Airyhall Community Centre in Countesswells Road.

The Agenda can be viewed or downloaded by clicking here

If there are any queries, please email the secretary on bandmcommcouncil@gmail.com

ALL WELCOME

Road Closed - Countesswells Road

Aberdeen City Council has made the above-named order in terms of its powers under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.

The effect of the order, which will operate from 09:30 until 15:30 on 31 March 2025, is to close Countesswells Road, Aberdeen, from its junction with the service road in front of numbers 68b-d Countesswells Road to the access to Springbank Cemetery.  An alternative route is available via Seafield Road, Anderson Drive, and Great Western Road. 

The measure is necessary to protect public safety during works for Openreach.  

Any queries regarding this restriction can be directed to   Sunbelt Rentals on 03700500792, or surveys@sunbeltrentals.co.uk

First Bus - Fare Increases

As of Sunday 30 March, First Aberdeen will be raising the price of some of their fares in the city. Good morning. The changes are due to inflationary pressures, as rising fuel and maintenance costs continue to impact the price of operations.

From 30th March, Adult Day tickets will move from £5.30 to £5.55, Two-Trip tickets are increasing from £4.90 to £5.25; and Adult Weekly tickets will go from £24 to £25.50.

The review of ticketing options in Aberdeen will also see changes to Single tickets, First Unlimited, and selected other fares.

First say that they continue to invest heavily in the running of their network - making the proportion of zero-emission vehicles in its Aberdeen fleet one of the highest in the UK. 

They have made a £12.7m investment in 24 new electric buses and 12 repower buses meaning 36 more zero emission buses will be hitting the streets of Aberdeen in the coming weeks.

They say that they have also introduced cutting-edge AI software to create timetables that make the service more reliable for customers by accounting for factors like congestion and roadworks.

While roadworks in Aberdeen remain a major issue, particularly around the Union Street improvements, First continuing to make significant additional investment in resources such as additional drivers and buses on routes across the city to ensure the bus continues to maintain current timetables.

Minutes of Meetings - AGM and February 2025

The Community Council Annual General Meeting was held on 25th of February at The Airyhall Community Centre in Countesswells Road. The minutes of that meeting can be read or downloaded by clicking here.

The February monthly meeting followed the AGM and the minutes can be read by clicking here.

The next meeting of the Community Council will be at 7pm on Tuesday March 26th 2025 at the Airyhall Community Centre in Countesswells Road.