Fife community gala parades could be at risk after police said they could not commit to helping with road closures.
Cairneyhill Gala organisers have already shelled out around £800 for a private traffic management company to allow youngsters to take part in their annual parade on June 10.
And Crossford Gala will have no police presence on June 3 – the day the Apprentice Boys of Derry are due to parade through nearby Dunfermline.
It is appealing for volunteers to help steward the children’s walk.
Several other events, including Dalgety Bay and Hillend Gala on June 10, are also affected by the decision.
Officers traditionally attend large community events, where they enforce road closure orders and mix with families.
However, staff numbers and competing demands mean they can no longer guarantee an officer presence.
And this could prove problematic for volunteer committees who organise gala days across Fife.
Either pay private company or cancel parade
Police say they are keen to support events and will review requests on a case-by-case basis.
But April Walker, of Cairneyhill Gala, said committee members were disappointed by a short-notice decision not to attend theirs.
“The police only advised us a couple of weeks ago they would not be attending the parade to close the road,” she said.
“It left us in a position of either paying hundreds of pounds to a private company or cancelling the parade.
“The parade goes through the centre of Cairneyhill and it’s well attended by locals who spend a good few months preparing the costumes.
“It goes down a busy main road and safety is critical.
“The decision has caused a great deal of stress over the last couple of weeks.
“We’re very disappointed the police aren’t supporting this community event.”
‘Could turn into an ongoing problem’
April said the gala committee thankfully had enough funds to cover the cost of traffic management this year.
She added however: “We are a charity run by volunteers and rely on fundraising.
“To use a large chunk of that budget for something we didn’t expect is a lot and I’m not sure we could cover it every year.
“The gala is attended by many families and community groups and to not be able to have it would be a real loss.”
Graeme Downie, Labour councillor for West Fife and Coastal Villages, said there was a precedent that police attend Fife gala parades.
“The Cairneyhill situation is not a one-off,” he said.
“I do sympathise with the police position.
“But there has been an assumption for many years that they will support those events.
“However, there seems to be a problem this year which could turn into an ongoing problem for future years.”
Police decide ‘on case-by-case basis’
Mr Downie added: “Police Scotland should be given more resources to support officers and more local determination of priorities so they are able to support community events.
“This is a vital part of making sure police continue to be a respected part of the local community.”
Superintendent Tony Beveridge, Police Scotland, said: “We are always keen to try and support event organisers where possible, but competing demands mean officers can’t always commit to attending.
“We recognise community events are an important opportunity to engage with local people and we review every request on a case-by-case basis.”
Conversation