Edinburgh crime news: City centre experiences the most serious assaults and common assaults in the Capital

Crime statistics from Police Scotland show that Edinburgh city centre recorded the highest number of serious assaults between April 2020 and March 2021.

There were 28 recorded serious assaults in the ward during this time period, with the second highest in both Leith and the Pentlands war, both at 23.

The City Centre also recorded the highest common assault rate in the same time, with 605.

This is substantially higher than any other area.

Edinburgh crime news: City centre experiences the most serious assaults and common assaults in the Capital

Common assaults that did not have a specific area recorded were at 438 and were second on the list behind the city centre.

Then it was the Liberton and Gilmerton ward with 368.

Claire Miller, Green councillor for the City Centre ward, said: “Everyone has a right to live in a society free from violence or the threat of violence.

"The city centre should be a welcoming and safe place for everyone to live and to visit, but these statistics show we have a long way to go before this is truly the case.

"I look forward to asking Police Scotland for more detail about the situation of these reports in order to identify preventative work that the Council should be doing.”

The Liberton and Gilmerton ward was the highest area in the Capital for the assault of an emergency worker, with 110 recorded in that time period.

Lesley Macinnes, SNP councillor for the Liberton and Gilmerton ward commented : “It’s dreadful to hear about the level of abuse and crime that emergency workers are experiencing as they go about their vital job of helping everyone in society at a time when they most need assistance.

"The role emergency workers play in keeping our communities safe and well, especially during the really difficult recent times so many of us are still experiencing, cannot be underestimated.

"They should be treasured, not abused, and those who are committing these crimes should take a long hard look at themselves and their behaviour.”

The Newington and Southside ward was second on the list of highest recorded assaults against emergency workers with 99.

The statistics from April 2021 to March 2022 will be released later in the year.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.