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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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The answers given should be seen in the context of general information only and they are not intended as a
substitute for any legal advice you may require.
CONTACTING US How do I contact Tayside Police? When should I make an emergency 999 call? When should I dial the ordinary telephone numbers? How do I report a hate crime? Response times Crimestoppers Drugs Information What should I do if I have lost/found some property? I have found a dog that appears to have been lost or abandoned. What should I do with it? CARS & MOTORING There is a car in my road which seems to be abandoned. What should I do? How much alcohol can I drink and still be safe to drive? Who should I tell about a vehicle without any road tax? My vehicle's tax disc ran out today, can I drive it until I get another one? My MOT has expired and I need to get my car to a garage. I have been involved in a road accident; do I need to report the matter to the police? How long do penalty points stay on my licence and how do I get them removed? How do I pay a fixed penalty ticket or can I speak to someone about it? Who is responsible for making sure seatbelts are worn? I have not found my question here, where can I go to get answers to my questions? AT HOME My neighbours are causing a disturbance with a loud party, what should I do about it? I am going on holiday, can I get the police to keep an eye on my house whilst I'm away? I have been receiving nuisance telephone calls, what do I do? CHILDREN At what age can a child be legally left at home alone? How old does a babysitter need to be? What are the rules relating to the employment of children? FOOTBALL MATCHES My football team is playing in Tayside. How do I get to the ground? How do I contact Tayside Police? Non emergency number: 0300 111 2222 Tayside Police serves the community twenty four hours a day. We deal with in excess of 165,000 incidents each year. We strive to meet recognised standards to ensure that the public receives the highest possible level of service. When should I make an emergency 999 call? Tayside Police receives in excess of 32,000 emergency 999 calls each year and we seek to answer all of them within 10 seconds of receipt from the emergency operator. Please consider the nature of your call before making it, you may be preventing someone with a genuine need from obtaining assistance in an emergency. You should contact us by this system ONLY if
When should I dial the ordinary telephone numbers? Tayside Police receives in excess of 350,000 non-999 telephone calls from the public each year. We aim to answer these calls within 20 seconds.
How do I report a hate crime? Tayside Police takes hate crime very seriously and encourages members of all communities to report incidents to the police. Even if what happened does not amount to a crime then we will still record it for information and future reference. Click here for more information on reporting hate crime Response times We attach the highest priority to attending calls that require an immediate response. If our operators judge that your call requires an immediate response we will aim to have a police officer attend the incident within
Crimestoppers If you have information about a crime or incident that you do not want to pass direct to Tayside Police, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Your call will be treated in confidence. Drugs Information If you have information about persons committing any type of drug offence(s), call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Your call will be treated in confidence. What should I do if I have lost/found some property? If you have lost something, it is helpful if you have a detailed description of the item or, in the case of larger items such as bicycles, a photograph. This will make matching your property to returned items much easier. Either visit your local police station or dial 0300 111 2222 and ask to be put through to the lost/found property office. Staff will advise and deal with your enquiry. If you have found some property and it is portable, take it to your local police station. If you suspect that the item is stolen, try not to handle it too much and either contact the police on the above number, detailing where and when you found it or hand it in at your local station. I have found a dog wandering in the street it appears to have been lost or abandoned. What should I do with it? The police do not have facilities for the collection or kennelling of stray dogs. We will record the fact you have found or lost a dog. The dog warden of the local council or the SSPCA should be contacted for assistance in the first instance. There is a car in my road which has been there for a few days and seems to be abandoned. What should I do? Take a look at the vehicle and make a note of the following
How much alcohol can I drink and still be safe to drive? You MUST NOT drive with a breath alcohol level higher than 35mg/100ml or a blood alcohol level of more than 80mg/100ml. However, due to many different factors, we would advise the only safe limit is NOT to drink at all when you have to drive. Also bear in mind that you may still be unfit to drive in the evening after drinking at lunchtime, or in the morning after drinking the previous evening. Remember - it is also an offence to drive if impaired through drugs. Who should I tell about a vehicle near my house/business without any road tax? You will need to give registration, make and colour of vehicle to the police. It would be helpful if you could notify us where the vehicle is regularly parked and/or who you think owns the vehicle, as often the registered keeper is no longer the owner. My vehicle's tax disc (road fund licence) ran out today, can I drive it until I get another one? A change in the law came into effect from the 1st of September 2008. From this date it is legal for motorists to drive or keep their vehicle on the public road without a current tax disc for the first five working days of the month immediately after the current tax disc has expired. This exemption from displaying a tax disc applies only when an application for a new disc has been made before the previous one has expired. Motorists are advised to display the expired tax disc, however they will be committing an offence if they continue to use or keep the vehicle on a public road without a current valid tax disc after the first five days of the month. My MOT has expired and I need to get my car to a garage. You are permitted to drive a vehicle with an expired MOT to a garage where you have a pre-arranged MOT appointment. I have been involved in a road accident. Do I need to report the matter to the police? There is no legal requirement to report all road accidents to the police. Section 170 of The Road Traffic Act 1988 states that if you are the driver involved in a road accident YOU MUST STOP and give the following details to the other persons involved
How long do penalty points stay on my licence and how do I get them removed? Penalty points are valid for 3 years. The points then remain on your licence for a further year for recording purposes. After this time you may apply to the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority, Swansea and have them removed. I have received a fixed penalty ticket, how do I pay it or can I speak to someone about it? Staff are able to answer enquiries at the Central Ticket Unit on 01382 596365 between Monday and Friday 0900hrs to 1630hrs. If your call concerns the possible cancellation of a fixed penalty notice, this needs to be submitted for consideration in writing to The SupervisorThe Fixed Penalty Notice should be paid at the address stated on the ticket. Due to a recent change in legislation for the issuing parking tickets, the enforcement of parking offences and tickets issued is the responsibility of the Local Councils in Dundee and Perth areas. In the Angus area, all enquiries regarding parking tickets should be sent to the Central Ticket Unit on the above number. Enquiries or payment of parking tickets in the Dundee area should be made at ParkwiseEnquiries or payment of parking tickets in the Perth and Kinross area should be made at Planning and Transportation Who is responsible for making sure seatbelts are worn? It is the individual responsibility of all passengers to wear seatbelts, other than in the case of under 14-year-olds, when it is the driver's responsibility. Children must wear the appropriate restraint for their age and information leaflets explaining the different options are available from your local police station or council. I have not found my question here, where can I go to get answers to my questions? The Motoring section of the DirectGov website has information on many aspects of driving including Driving Licences, Vehicle Registration & Car Tax, Learning to Drive and Road Safety. www.direct.gov.uk/Motoring My neighbours are causing a disturbance with a loud party, what should I do about it? And, can the police help? Section 54 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 makes it an offence for someone to sound or play a musical instrument, or operate any radio or television receiver, record player, tape recorder or other sound producing device so as to give any other person reasonable cause for annoyance, if they fail to desist on being required by a constable to do so. Section 24 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 inserts a new subsection into section 54 of the CG (S) Act 1982, which empowers a police officer to enter premises without a warrant and to seize noise-making equipment if he reasonably suspects that an offence under section 54(1) has been committed, and to use reasonable force in doing so. The power of seizure applies not only in cases where it is obvious that an offence under section 54 has been committed. It will not always be immediately clear whether criminal proceedings are to be taken. The police may choose not to report the matter to the Procurator Fiscal where there is patently insufficient evidence or, more commonly, the Procurator Fiscal may decide on the basis of the facts and circumstances reported to him that it is not in the public interest to prosecute. But this does not preclude a constable from being able to seize property at the time when he reasonably suspects that an offence has been committed under section 54(1) in relation to a musical instrument or in relation to such a device as is mentioned in section 54. I am going on holiday, can I get the police to keep an eye on my house whilst I'm away? No, home (or business premises) security is your own responsibility. However, when your home is unoccupied for any length of time, it is sensible to take precautions to protect your property from crime
I have been receiving nuisance telephone calls, what do I do? In the first instance report the incidents directly to your telephone provider and make records of any calls received. Do not engage in any type of conversation with the caller. At what age can a child be legally left at home alone? There are no legal guidelines regarding the age at which a child can be left at home alone. A child should be able to look after him / herself before being left on their own. Common sense should apply. If you are concerned about the safety of a child being left at home alone call 0300 111 2222 and the necessary action will be taken. How old does a babysitter need to be? There is no specified minimum age for a babysitter. Common sense must apply, with the babysitter being able to look after both themselves and the child. It is advisable to leave a contact telephone number or address in case of an emergency whilst you are away. What are the rules relating to the employment of children? The rules for employment of children, under 16 years of age, are (subject to local Education Authority byelaws) as follows No child shall be employed
My football team is playing in Tayside. How do I get to the ground? Visit our Football Grounds pages in the Information & Advice section of this website. Details on how to drive to each professional football ground within Tayside are posted there. Click here to view these pages. |
