Stewart has been involved in community safety and resilience for some time, and a trustee within the voluntary sector since 2005.
Currently his day job as Principal Officer, Responders & Communities with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) involves developing and leading relationships with emergency responder and national community organisations. That focus on community safety and resilience includes being part of the Scottish Government’s Voluntary Sector Resilience Partnership, which sparked an increased awareness of the potential for NWS and encouraged him to join the Board.
Stewart lives in Dunblane but despite a Cornish and Scottish background refuses to try haggis pasties! He say ” With many years as a charity trustee elsewhere and a passion for community I hope I bring some useful experience and determination to support the amazing work being done out there.”
Kirsten is an Investigator with Trading Standards Scotland. Through her previous 11 years of experience in local Trading Standards, Kirsten seeks to add capacity to Trading Standards in her latest national role, undertaking cross-border casework and national projects in the priority areas of Illicit Puppy Trade, Misleading Marketing Scams, Counterfeit Goods and Doorstep crime.
Kirsten is a member of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and a certified Trading Standards Practitioner who has a passion for ensuring that our communities, especially the most vulnerable within them, are protected. Her involvement with the Trading Standards Scotland ‘Scam Share’ Bulletin is the latest in a series of consumer protection campaigns she has spearheaded at both a local and national level.
Earlier in her career, Kirsten worked in Waste Management, assisting to implement the Clyde Valley Area Waste Plan, participating in several national programs focused on diverting and reducing waste going to landfill. In addition to her Service Development role in changing the way waste was managed, she and her team were able to have none other than ‘Sting’ endorse their local ‘message in a bottle’ recycling campaign.
Continuously seeking to improve consumer quality of life and wellbeing, Kirsten is committed to reducing physical harm and product safety risks. Most recently, she joined the Consumer and Public interest Network, a BSI program that develops standards for goods and services.
In her spare time when she’s not studying or finding a new project to undertake, she enjoys spending time with her family. Kirsten is a keen runner and has recently taken up paddleboarding given she has not been able to go scuba diving. When she really needs to escape from it all she can be found shopping.
Kirsten is dedicated to ensuring that different organisations and individuals work together to provide information on and access to excellent, integrated services for the people and communities they serve, in turn making her a natural fit for the Neighbourhood Watch/SCSN Board. ..
Roddy is the Community Safety Manager at Perth and Kinross Council. He has a strong background in Partnership Working and is a trustee of the Lighthouse of Perth, a mental health charity in Perth and the St Johnstone Community Trust.
Roddy has been involved in Community Safety for decades (!) and retains an enthusiasm for how working together as agencies and with communities can improve lives.
Roddy is married with 3 children and 2 grand-daughters, he lives north of Perth.
NWS is part of the Community Safety family and has a great deal to contribute. Its been a period of change and I’m excited by the change and the new team.
Easton’s career started in Coop grocery stores, then quickly into managing larger Coop stores across West Scotland. He moved from selling to the public to selling to the stores that he had learned his selling and management skills in! Working for a major American food supplier he was soon managing sales teams throughout the UK at senior level, and later in his career he became company spokesperson with the role of Trade Relations and communications manager for the UK.
Easton has been a NW coordinator in Gloucestershire since 1989 and has worked to enhance the development of NW membership, NW groups, and with local Police forces. He joined the NW Scotland Board to bring his NW skills to improve communications with communities and just as importantly, Police Scotland.
Easton and his wife moved to Edinburgh to enjoy retirement. However, the opportunity to volunteer and help develop NWS was too appealing!
NW Scotland, using the tools and organisations available to it, and working across Scotland, really can make communities better places to live, and make us all feel safer in our homes!
Ron McKail has been a supporter of Neighbourhood Watch schemes for many years having set up a scheme in Birmingham in the 1980`s.
Ron is currently an Aberdeenshire councillor and in his role as Chair of the Garioch Community Safety Group he has promoted neighbourhood watch schemes in his Westhill ward. He is very pleased to be invited to be a Board Member of Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. In addition to acknowledging the benefits neighbourhood watch schemes can be in ensuring communities are safer places, it is his intention to raise the profile of these schemes in Aberdeenshire with the target being to encourage the development of more schemes.
Jack was born and brought up on the east coast yet spent his working life down south, joining my first Watch in late 80s in SW London.
Jack retired home to Scotland in 2015, enjoying new-found peace and quiet, not being under a major airport flight path. He intends to be useful, intent on reducing Rural Crime while still able to make contributions and hopes being on this board will achieve success.
Jack lives in Rural Perthshire with his gun dog, working on restoring his large woodland garden to its state of fifty years ago.
As the rural area board member, my main concerns are preservation of the peace & wildlife of our countryside and seeing reduction of crimes and calamities (tourists lost on hills or falling into deep water)..
Valerie Arbuckle, Trustee
Valerie works with Police Scotland as the Partnership Development Manager for the organisation based within the Partnership, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division. Her main focus is the development of partnerships that reduce harm and prevent people becoming involved in criminality or becoming a victim of crime. She champions Primary Prevention and a Public Health Approach to policing.
Valerie has worked in Policing since 2005 and has held senior roles in a variety of business areas which have contributed to her understanding of the wider organisation.
Prior to the Police she worked in the Civil Service where she also held a lead role for partnerships.
Valerie also represents Police Scotland on the Board of the Scottish Community Safety Network and the Community Justice Network and is delighted to add Neighbourhood Watch to her responsibilities. Valerie said, “Neighbourhood Watch Scotland play such an important role in the development of safety by promoting resillience within communities. I am keen to help them expand and reach other place based or community groups.”
Gavin Phillip, Trustee
Gavin is a former Superintendent with Police Scotland where he worked operationally in Edinburgh and West Lothian. He had responsibility for the service delivery Equality and Diversity and Community Engagement for Police Scotland.
Since retiring in 2017, Gavin has worked with Sacro, currently managing their Veterans Mentoring Service. This supports military veterans who have entered the criminal justice system or are at risk of doing so. He also works as an Associate Inspector with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, the body which Inspects Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.
Gavin has been involved with Neighbourhood Watch since the early days of his policing career and hopes to bring his skills and knowledge to help Neighbourhood Watch Scotland continue to grow and support communities and help make Scotland a safer place.
Gavin lives in Edinburgh with his wife and children. He is a keen runner and likes watching football.
I look forward to supporting NWS to continue to evolve and allow it to provide the best possible support to communities in helping to make Scotland a safe place
Allan Symington, Trustee
Allan is a retired Police Inspector having worked in North Ayrshire and Edinburgh over his 30 years service. He has experience in many specialist positions including community policing and counter terrorist planning. He was also an active representative of the Scottish Police Federation, advocating for officer welfare.
Since retiring he has been busy working with the Boys’ Brigade, with oversight for strategy and governance. He served as Executive Officer for Edinburgh, Leith and District Battalion and supported events related to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Allan’s interests include Medieval Scottish History and lifting weights in the gym. He is married and dad to two sons and two (very spoiled) cats.
I know the value that NWS brings first hand and I look forward to contributing my experience and knowledge to help it flourish and expand to deliver wider benefits for us all.
Richard Whetton, Trustee
Richard is currently the Head of Corporate Governance, Strategy and Performance for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service where he oversees a wide-ranging portfolio.
Richard has a long history of working in community safety, starting over 20 years ago in London and Surrey, working in the Home Office, Local Authorities and Scottish Government. Over the years he has fulfilled community safety officer, manager, and head of service roles, all of which involved leading and working with community projects, including Neighbourhood Watch.
Richard lives in rural East Lothian, is married with three children. He enjoys walking and birdwatching.
Christina McCourt, Trustee
Chris semi-retired from the Pharmaceutical Industry after over 35 years. In that time she led large national sales and marketing teams and latterly held global roles focusing on capability development and supporting countries gain access to medicines for their population.
Chris aims to support NWS by transferring her skill set particularly with a business focus to engage with third party providers. She is also passionate about people and their development.
Chris lives in Ayr with husband Steve. She loves long walks on the beach and loves to cook and entertain friends and family with her efforts!
‘As a naturally curious person I look forward to listening and learning at NWS and offer support and guidance to add value as part of the team and in the community we serve’.
