In brief for 10 February 2011
Police and fire consultation
SCOTTISH justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has launched a three months consultation into the future of police and fire services across Scotland.
The minister said that maintaining the current excellent standards of policing and fire and rescue work could not be done by sticking to the status quo.
“There is a growing consensus that the financial challenges we face due to the unprecedented cut in Scotland’s budget will not allow us to do that without changing the way these services are structured.
“We realise that some of the options have raised concerns about local accountability surrounding larger regional or national structures.
“As such, we are launching these consultations today so that the case for and against particular options can be made and we can build a consensus on the future of these vital public services,” he said
The consultation papers can be found at: www.scotland.gov.uk/policereform and www.scotland.gov.uk/firereform
Spray painted
POLICE are calling for witnesses to come forward after a car, parked in the Sandside area of Mossbank, was spray painted overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
The force can be contacted at Lerwick on 01595 69 2110.
Proven turbines
DOMESTIC wind turbine manufacturer Proven Energy and local renewables engineers Shetland Wind Power have formed a close partnership, which commits SWP to exclusively sell Proven products in the small wind sector.
Shetland Wind Power’s turnover has doubled every year for the last three years, a trend that is set to continue after the business was bought in a multi-million pound deal by Nevis Capital in December 2010.
SWP’s technical director Michael Anderson said: “We are confident that the Proven 35-2 will be the best wind turbine for many of our customers.
“It has recently achieved MCS certification, making its customers eligible for feed-in-tariffs and is the only wind turbine in its class to do so. This allows us to offer a quality product which can also provide a tremendous financial return.”
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Fish welfare
THE NAFC Marine Centre in Scalloway is experiencing an uptake beyond expectation for a fish welfare training course developed by the fisheries college.
The two day course, initiated by the college’s business development manager Alan Bourhill, has been recognised by the RSPCA and so far been delivered to more than 200 delegates.
Mr Bourhill said that concern about the welfare of farmed fish was driven by a broad range of factors, including consumer and retailer awareness, legal, ethical, economic and scientific factors.
“Our welfare course presents the latest knowledge about best practice and the well-established links that exist between welfare, health and product quality in a way that it easy for everyone to understand,” he said.
Romania trip
VOLUNTEERS from the Shetland to Romania Orphanage Project have said fundraising for their mission to Transylvania had now reached the 75 per cent mark and was ahead of schedule.
Nine volunteers, Jenny Wylie, Sandra Strachan, Val Farnworth, Mark Wylie, Jenny
Teale, Amy Gair, Tracy Webb, Barry Darbyshire and Christine Jamieson will spend this summer in Romania to work in several orphanages.
Organisers said that they would be bag packing for customers at Tesco this Saturday, and ask anyone who wanted to help to contact Mark Wylie, 3 Andrewstown Terrace, Lerwick, or e-mail: markandjenny8018@aol.com
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