Perth and Kinross Council is considering the use of CCTV, drones, and a case management system to address anti-social behaviour by visitors, following the allocation of additional funding. Council leader Eric Drysdale provided an update at the June 24 meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee, confirming that eight visitor rangers are being recruited for the 2026/27 season.
Additional Funding and Recruitment
In April, the committee agreed to allocate a further £150,000, bringing the total funding for 2026/27 to £200,000, to recruit additional visitor rangers and acquire technology deemed appropriate. At Wednesday's meeting, Independent councillor Grant Laing asked exactly what the additional money had been spent on.
Cllr Drysdale responded: “Recruitment of new members of staff is largely complete, costing approximately £110,000. This will bring us to a total of eight visitor rangers. These posts will be flexibly deployed across Perth and Kinross; however, within the wider Community Support and Enforcement Team function, rather than being limited solely to the loch areas, etc and rural hotspots, with a maximum of six on shift at any one time.”
Technology and Equipment
Cllr Drysdale said a further £30,000 was being spent on portable toilets and the remainder would be spent on vehicles, fuel and signage. The SNP leader added: “Having said that, largely the £150,000 is committed at this point in time but we are currently exploring further the procurement of deployable remountable CCTV units, with costings still to be confirmed. Work is also under way to consider a case management system for anti-social behaviour, again subject to confirmed costs. A feasibility study is also being undertaken in relation to the potential use of drones.”
Drones for Multiple Uses
Former SNP council leader, now sitting as an Independent councillor, Grant Laing described the potential use of drones as “a fantastic idea and could maybe used in many other services such as planning”. Cllr Drysdale said: “Indeed, if we were able to use drones, there are multiple uses - not least river safety as well, quickly deployable if there’s an incident on the River Tay, for example.”
The council aims to tackle issues such as wild camping around Perthshire, which has been a source of anti-social behaviour concerns. The new measures are part of a broader effort to manage visitor impact while enhancing safety and enforcement.
