§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by region the number of farmwatch schemes operating in Scotland; and what provision his Department has undertaken to encourage farmers to join this scheme. [30014]
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§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonInformation by region is not held centrally, but the number of schemes by police force area is as follows:
Central Scotland police — Dumfries and Galloway constabulary 14 Fife constabulary — Grampian police 34 Lothian and Borders police 8 Northern constabulary 1 Strathclyde police — Tayside police 58 Farmwatch schemes, in common with a wide range of other watch schemes, continue to increase in number and operate in close co-operation with individual police forces. The demand for, and development of, such schemes are essentially driven by farming communities in the light of their perception of local circumstances.