Shoplifting suspect arrested after knife found during Leith police search
Police were searching for a shoplifting suspect when they found him carrying a small blade
A shoplifting suspect was found carrying a knife attached to his keys when searched by police in Leith last Friday evening.
Community officers were looking for the “young male” who was suspected of shoplifting from a Farmfoods on Seafield Road near Leith Links two days earlier.
They found the suspect after receiving a report of youths carrying a knife. When stopped and searched, a small knife with a blade measuring nearly one and a half inches.
He has now been arrested, cautioned and charged by the City Centre Policing Unit.
Leith’s Kirkgate is currently hosting the 27ft Knife Angel sculpture made from 100,000 knives and blades seized by police across the UK to raise awareness of the devastating impact of knife crime.
The sculpture arrived at the Foot of the Walk exactly one year after 22-year-old John McNab was stabbed to death in the area.
His death sent shockwaves around the community and contributed to First Minister John Swinney rolling out bleed kits, tighter regulations on knife sales and changes to bail for violent knife crime.
Speaking at the statue’s installation, John McNab’s mum Lisa Petrie said: “I mean we're losing all of our kids, on both sides of the story we are losing our kids to knife crime. There needs to be a massive change.
“Each knife in this statue has a story and I want kids to see that this isn't the path they need to be choosing.”
The teenager who murdered John McNab cannot be named for legal reasons and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 17 years in June.
Police Scotland Edinburgh said: “You can report a crime incident involving a knife or weapon to us.
“Always dial 999 and ask for police if someone is in immediate danger or an incident is happening right now. To report a non-emergency or past incidents you can call Police Scotland on 101.”
Those wishing to report a crime anonymously can call Crimestoppers on 0800555111 and there is an anonymous online service, Fearless, for young people wanting to report a crime.