Chief Superintendent Sean Scott: Proud to serve the city where I started my career

In my first column as Edinburgh’s Divisional Commander, I want to take this opportunity to thank officers across Edinburgh Division, and our partners, for welcoming me to this role.

Chief Superintendent Sean Scott is the new Divisional Commander for Edinburgh

I joined Lothians & Borders Police 29 years ago and served in numerous uniform and criminal investigation roles mostly across Edinburgh and in East & West Lothian; including community policing, major crime and public protection.

In 2015, I was promoted to Detective Chief Superintendent with responsibility for local crime across Scotland and, most recently, have been leading Police Scotland’s Demand, Productivity and Performance Programme to improve our understanding of demand, improve productivity and ensure our performance is measured against clear outcomes.

I write this in my ­second week as Divisional Commander in the city where I live and where my ­policing career started and I appreciate how vibrant a place it is to live, work and visit.

This, I have no doubt, is partly due to the exemplary service provided by dedicated and capable officers and staff.

I’m eager to get up to speed as quickly as possible with all the ongoing demands and initiatives across the division and, in my tenure, I’m determined to build on the good work already being done and ensure the priorities of our communities and staff remain at the forefront of our decisions. Edinburgh’s Local Policing Plan outlines our priorities until 2021, which have been identified through a number of mechanisms such as public feedback and includes commitments to tackling acquisitive crime, violent and antisocial behaviour, ­serious and organised crime – including drug-related harm – a focus on road safety, community engagement and public safety at events.

The demand from the volume of events, from concerts to protests, which we support across the city is extensive. We will always work to ensure a proportionate policing response, which balances the rights of protestors with our duty to prevent crime and disorder and keep people safe.

At the end of the month, the city hosts a number of events for ­Holyrood Week; an annual event during which time the Queen visits a variety of places in Scotland. Holyrood Week begins on Friday, 28 June at Holyrood Palace with the ­Ceremony of the Keys.

During the course of the week there will be other royal visits and visitors and an appropriate policing plan is in place to ensure these events pass without incident and, at the same time, deploying sufficient resources to ensure ‘business as usual’ policing can continue elsewhere.

I want to thank the public in advance for their cooperation, and their ­ongoing support. Successful policing depends on strong partnerships and relationships with our communities, and it’s already apparent to me that these exist in abundance across the city.

I very much look forward to, once again, serving the city of Edinburgh.

Chief Superintendent Sean Scott is the new Divisional Commander for Edinburgh.