Police gave an update on the fight against drugs, traffic offences and noisy exhausts at a meeting last Thursday (27 August).

Inspector Neil Taylor was giving a report to Stornoway Community Council at its monthly meeting.

Western Isles officers, supported by the Outer Hebrides Alcohol and Drug Partnership who fund the drugs detection dog and handler, have seized cocaine with a street value of £180,000 in the last year, the community council heard.

Cannabis with a street value of £100,000 was also seized, along with modest quantities of other drugs.

Inspector Taylor said cocaine was the recreational drug of choice and was sadly tied in with domestic abuse generally. However, he also said domestic abuse offences have decreased in the Western Isles.

Traffic offences are also a major part of the local police workload, he said.

In detailing the achievements of his officers, Inspector Taylor said: “There is a need for education here through enforcement as people are committing speeding, general road traffic and parking offences”.

He is determined to change this but recognises this will take time. Inspector Taylor explained that his officers will use their discretion where appropriate but will equally enforce where necessary.

Following a number of public complaints, local police are targeting the drivers of vehicles with excessively noisy exhausts. This is now recognised as anti-social behaviour, especially considering the noise impact on quiet neighbourhoods.

Police officers have the authority to stop the driver of a vehicle with an excessively noisy exhaust, give a warning and record the incident on the Police National Computer as a crime. If the vehicle is stopped again for the same reason, it will be seized. And the driver will have to pay to get the vehicle back.

Inspector Taylor gave some reassurance to the public, as he stated: “The islands do not have the same levels of dishonesty offences or serious acquisitive crime types like housebreaking and car theft.

“Overall, it is a safe place to live.”

He also outlined the great work the schools officer PC Steele had carried out in 2025 to 2026, with partnership support.

This work, gratefully funded by the Comhairle, will continue with both leisure activities and educational inputs that will be delivered to the pupils in schools across the Western Isles for their education, awareness and ongoing safety.