A second public meeting is being this week to discuss ways of improving public confidence in the police in Irvine's Fullarton.

And it is set to listen to views on new small-scale initiatives being proposed for policing in the area.

The event take place on Wednesday, July 26, in Fullarton Community Hub, with sessions at 11am and 2pm.

The initial meeting, on May 25, was set up after a Scottish Police Authority (SPA) study discovered 46 per cent of those surveyed in Fullarton said cops were doing a 'somewhat poor' or 'very poor' job dealing with anti social behaviour.

Fullarton had been selected for a Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland study into four areas in Scotland experiencing social-economic deprivation where confidence in the police was believed to be lower.

The other areas taking part are Letham, in Angus, Levenmouth in Fife and and Wick in the Highlands.

That initial meeting was attended by around 26 people, including council officers, councillors, community leaders, school pupils and members of the public.

A feedback report from the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland said the aim of the initial event was to gain insights into how people felt policing in Irvine Fullarton could be enhanced.

It led to the identification of five key areas: Communication, Visibility/Contact, Targeted Resourcing, Partnership Working, and Young People.

Regarding the issue of antisocial behaviour, the attendees expressed that this reflected the reality in the area – especially in the mall and beach area.

Some conversations connected drug use with antisocial behaviour.

Attendees also noted long 101 waiting times and shared experiences of reporting intelligence to police with no observable response.

Furthermore, it was expressed that the issue of sexual violence in the area was missing from the survey findings in light of recent incidents.

Young people attending felt that vaping was a priority issue, particularly in schools.

The Scottish Police Authority said of the coming meeting: "Spaces will be limited and we therefore require people to sign up by Monday, July 24. We do require names and contact information.

"The Scottish Police Authority will hold this personal information (it will not be shared with Police Scotland or any other organisation)."

Email: ProjectDeprivationAndConfidence@spa.police.uk