Morningside and Bruntsfield business owners living in fear of break-ins after spate of incidents in area

At least 12 businesses have been broken into in recent weeks, with business owners left worried that it could happen again.

Eden Buckley runs Coffee Inc in Bruntsfield, which was broken into earlier this month. According to Eden, it was the second of three nights that saw break-ins in the area - with Andiamo and Bell Bottom Eatery also among those targeted.

“That was quite frustrating, walking past them and seeing that they'd all been broken into after it already happened to us,” she said. “I kind of expected that something would have been done that night, even if it was just an increased police presence which, in fairness, there might have been, but obviously not enough to deter someone from doing it again.”

The break-ins have left shops with broken and boarded up windows - something that Eden said has changed the atmosphere in the area.

“You don't want to go to bed every night wondering if they're going to come back and if you're going to have more damage to deal with the next day,” she said.

“It's really disheartening to see. We still have a board up on our window, other places still have damage to their shop fronts and obviously it makes the whole neighbourhood feel a bit less nice.”

The area has seen a spate of break-ins recently | Supplied

Fellow business owner David Ferguson, of Andiamo, echoed Eden’s fears and said the incidents ‘bring the area down’.

“It just brings the whole place down. Police were suggesting putting up shutters and things. But one of the nice things about Bruntsfield is it doesn't have a whole lot of shutters. The place looks a lot nicer,” he said.

His clothing shop was broken into earlier this month, with hundreds of pounds worth of damage caused. He said like to see more police on the streets, especially while the numbers of break-ins are high.

“It's happening pretty much every evening. So you would have thought it was quite sensible to have officers about every evening until the culprit is apprehended,” David said.

Mike Billinghurst, of 181 Delicatessen, is also calling for action to prevent more break-ins. Despite his shop not having been directly affected, he has contacted local councillors, MSPs and MPs in a bid to get help.

“You've got a worry that you're going to come in in the morning and there’ll be damage to your shop, or they've tried to get in,” Mike said. “I've done as much as I can to try and prevent anybody from getting into the shop, or to give them any incentive to do so as well.”

He has taken steps such as removing cash from the site and leaving empty tills open to ensure that would-be thieves can see the cash is gone. He has previously met with police and acknowledges the pressure they are under.

He said: “I'm not going to criticise them, because I know from previous meetings with the police, they are under pressure.”

Businesses have been targetted in the area | Supplied

One of those engaging with local businesses is Councillor Marie-Clair Munro, Conservative councillor for Morningside ward.

"I am horrified by the recent surge in break-ins and anti-social behaviour affecting our community," she said. "Such actions are unacceptable and have a detrimental impact on the livelihoods of our local businesses and the well-being of our residents."

She said she’d like to see work taken to move towards more robust measures being put in place for the area - following the area experiencing a similar surge in anti-social behaviour in late 2024.

“These incidents have not only caused financial harm to business owners but have also instilled fear within the businesses. Residents and business proprietors deserve to feel secure in their daily lives, free from the threat of such disruptive behaviour,” she said.

Chief Inspector Brian Manchester, Local Area Commander, said: “We’ve had a number of recent reports of break-ins, attempted break-ins and thefts from business premises in the Morningside area.

“Enquiries remain ongoing and we have increased our high visibility patrols as well as having plain clothed officers in the area.

“Alongside our efforts to trace those responsible for these offences, we’ve also been engaging with local businesses providing crime prevention advice and reassurance.

“Anyone with information or who is concerned can approach our officers or contact us on 101.”