Moray Council remains ‘committed’ to tackling anti-social behaviour despite sharp increase in reports at Elgin Bus Station

Moray Council says it remains committed to tackling anti-social behaviour after new figures revealed a sharp increase in reports at Elgin Bus Station since 2019.

Last week, The Northern Scot revealed that there has been a 900 per cent increase in instances of anti-social behaviour at the station when comparing 2019 (2 reports) to 2024 (20 reports).

The figures, obtained from a Freedom of Information request sent to Police Scotland, show a large spike in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels with 17 incidents alone.

In January of that year, the Scottish Government introduced the free bus travel scheme for under 22s which has been cited as one of the reasons for the rise.

That same year, Elgin Bus Station was labelled a “no-go area” with Stagecoach operations manager Jack Wright stating at the time that young people behaving badly was becoming a "really big problem".

Moray Council says it recognises the “negative impact” anti-social behaviour is having on communities in the region.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “We actively work alongside partner organisations through the Moray Community Safety Partnership to address this issue; including through initiatives with Police Scotland, education teams and community groups.

“The council also receives regular updates from the Partnership through relevant committees.”

In 2024, which has recorded the highest number of instances of anti-social behaviour at Elgin Bus Station to date, Stagecoach driver Keith Rollinson died after being attacked by a then 15-year-old.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport, a UK organisation which represents the bus and coach industry, is continuing to call for measures to penalise young offenders at bus stations across Scotland.

A spokesperson said: “CPT continue to urge the Scottish Government to take forward measures to discourage future incidents and to consider where action could be taken against offenders, such as the suspension of their right to free travel.

“We understand there are legislative barriers to doing so, but we believe it is important to continue to pursue possibilities to hotlist or remove travel as this sends an important message that anti-social behaviour on bus is unacceptable.

“CPT is working with Transport Scotland and other stakeholders, including local authorities and Unite, to ensure that a full and effective range of preventative measures and sanctions are in place to tackle anti-social behaviour on the bus network and bring about positive changes for the benefit of staff and passengers.”