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Bob MacKay has been appointed as Arran’s new police sergeant after spending three months in the role of acting sergeant.
Originally from Kingston in Glasgow, Bob began his police career in 1995 when he was posted to C-division based in Maryhill.
Sergeant MacKay said: ‘Until then I had worked in the engineering industry which saw me working away from home a lot. The police was an ideal way to have a more settled job that wouldn’t see me travelling all over the place.’
While working on a murder enquiry in Kirkintilloch seven years ago, Sergeant MacKay spotted a job advertised in Strathclyde Police’s in-house magazine
He said: ‘To be honest if anyone had earlier told me that I would some day end up living on Arran I would have laughed, but I have really enjoyed my time here and it is a real privilege to be promoted to sergeant.’
Sergeant MacKay sees Arran as an exciting challenge that he is ready to take on.
He explained: ‘The island has changed so much in recent years and we are no longer exempt from the forces which are affecting the rest of the country.’
Arran has become a much more cosmopolitan island in recent years with a huge influx of economic migrants, in particular from Eastern Europe.
Sergeant MacKay explained: ‘It is a challenge to try to improve levels of integration but variety is always a good thing and we welcome anyone who comes here to join the community.’
As well as the usual police business that keeps him and his team busy on the island, he has two priorities that he would like to see realised over the next three years.
These are getting the kids off the streets and involved in extra curricular activities and improving driving behaviour among islanders.
He said: ‘I want to concentrate on youth diversion programmes. I got involved in the bike club for that reason and I think the police can do more for these kids.
‘Improving the driving behaviour on the island is also important, so as a force we will be concentrating a lot more on bad drivers.’
Sergeant MacKay said that unlike a sergeant promoted from the mainland, he knows what will work for Arran: ‘I’ve been here long enough now to know what will and what won’t work. I can use this to my advantage to ensure that Arran continues to be a great place for people to live and to come to on holiday.’
