Camoran children skew missing people figures
(From The Orcadian dated April 19, 2001)

New figures detailing police work in Orkney will be put before the Northern Joint Police Board, which is due to meet next Thursday, in the council chamber.

Among other things, the figures show that 24 people have been reported missing so far this year but this, say police, is largely down to children absconding from the council-run children's home, Camoran.

Sergeant David Miller explained today: "That can be put down very simply to the fact that we had one or two children in Camoran at that particular period. They were reported almost daily to us."

The number of fires attended during the three-month period totalled 12, while the number of sudden deaths numbered five and vehicles stolen, two.

Each area command also details notable crimes during that particular period. Of those which stood out in Orkney were the seizure of a quantity of suspected drugs, believed to be ecstasy tablets and uncut amphetamine with a street value of around £2,500.

According to the report the suspected drugs were allegedly recovered from an 18-year-old man as he got off the St Ola ferry at Stromness on March 24.

On January 11 premises were found broken into and a large quantity of alcohol and tobacco stolen. Police inquiries led to the arrest of a 26-year-old man from Glasgow at the bus station in Inverness where, according to the police report, the majority of the stolen property, valued at over £3,000, was recovered.

Also among the county's notable crimes was a spate of housebreakings to commercial premises between January and March. Extensive inquiries identified a 16-year-old youth as being responsible. He was convicted and is serving a two-year probation order.

Notable convictions identified in the report include a fine of £1,150 and three-year driving ban for a 21-year-old man convicted of a number of road traffic offences and a fine of £500 and the requirement to register as a sex offender for five years for a 21-year-old man convicted of having lawful intercourse with a girl under the age of 16.

In Orkney, there was a reduction in non-injury road accidents from 147 in 1999-2000 to 108 in 2000-2001. Injury accidents dropped from 31 to 23 and fatal accidents dropped from 4 to none in the same period. The number of casualties involved in these accidents also dropped from 64 to 35 during the relevant periods.

Alcohol was confiscated from ten youngsters in public places under the age of 18 between January and March.

According to the report, "this continues to be a high priority issue in Orkney and is closely aligned with work done with organisers of village hall dances, local licensees and the Orkney Area Licensing Board".