Councillors commend Environmental Health action with partners

Highland Council’s Chair and Vice Chair of the Community Services committee have commended the actions of the Council’s Environmental Health Officers in a recent multi-agency crackdown on suspected underlying criminality within the takeaway and restaurant industry.

Led by officers from the Highland and Islands Police Scotland Division, a multi-agency day of action included visits to premises in Grantown-on-Spey and Dornoch on Thursday 22 September, 2016 as part of the enforcement activity to tackle suspected money laundering, immigration and drugs offences.

The operation involved officers from Highland and Islands Division, including officers from the Divisional Community Investigation Unit, Flexible Policing Unit and also the Operational Support Unit who were working alongside partners from Highland Council Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Licencing Standards, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Home Office Immigration Enforcement and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

The premises were revisited the following day on Friday 23 September by the Council’s Environmental Health Officer who found that the concerns raised by the Council from the previous evening’s visit regarding cleanliness of the premises had been addressed. The Environmental Health service will continue to work closely with the business to ensure that standards are maintained.

Chair of Highland Council’s Community Services Committee Cllr Allan Henderson said: “This is excellent targeted work by our Environmental Health Officers with partners that the public never hear about. I am delighted that we have the upper hand and are getting the message out that criminality associated with the takeaway and restaurant industry will not be tolerated in Highland.”

Cllr Richard Greene, Vice Chair of Community Services added: “Because much of the work of Environmental Health is undertaken within strictly controlled operational activity, it is possibly under appreciated.  Again though, this latest exercise has proven the value of the Service, and the protection of individuals and the public at large it achieves.”