This is what happened when the Evening News spent a night with police on the streets of Edinburgh

Moments later friends of a young motorcyclist try to take his keys off him before two police officers arrive to chase him on foot, suspecting the patron of being under the influence.

Shortly past 4am and such trouble is common most nights as police struggle to patrol bars and clubs with late licences in the Capital during the festivals, the officers’ union has warned.

“If we had enough resources, you wouldn’t have these problems because you’d have cops kicking about,” says Scottish Police Federation (SPF) east area committee chairman Andy Malcolm.

He quotes figures that Edinburgh’s 2,400 licensed premises are three times as many as the comparatively similar sized city of Leicester, which has 800 outlets.

And with footfall increasing by a fifth on the final Saturday night of the Festival and licences extended to 5am, the potential for trouble increases, he argues.

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The Evening News joined the SPF into the early hours of yesterday morning to witness first-hand some of the issues faced by rank-and-file officers on the frontline.

While most revellers are good natured, Mr Malcolm says the extended licences can lead to more booze-related problems. “The blue line is getting thinner and thinner and thinner,” he adds.

“Today we’re effectively managing four events – a football match, a rugby match, the daytime economy and the nighttime economy. We’re stretching people thinner and thinner.”

Mr Malcolm says extended licences mean officers on the back shift often work later than their 2am scheduled finish, running up overtime or lieu hours.

“Police officers don’t have a choice when they finish and that has a knock-on effect to the next day because they need a rest day,” he says.

“Cops can become tired, which increases error rates and can lead to illness, injury and stress.” Mr Malcolm argues serving alcohol until 5am contravenes the main pillars of licensing law, including prevention of violence, antisocial behaviour and the promotion of public health.

“I don’t want to sound like the Grinch, but it does cause more problems and it goes on for three weeks in August,” he says.

For much of the evening, two uniformed officers patrol the Cowgate, providing a high visibility presence to deter any troublemakers.

Their role also includes traffic duties as private hire cars and taxis persist on using the thoroughfare despite restrictions as part of the city’s Summer Streets safety move.

“The critical thing is that we don’t have enough resource to deal with it all,” Mr Malcolm says. “Things are getting eroded and eroded with different priorities.

“There’s something on every day, which is good for Edinburgh, but there’s no additional cops coming in – the numbers are actually going down.”

Scotland’s chief constable has already warned the existing number of police is “not sustainable” and that a further 759 officers would need to be cut by 2021 to eliminate the force’s deficit.

Shortly before 4.30am and the officers catch up with the young motorcyclist and drive him away – another two police off the streets for as long as he takes to process.

Edinburgh’s licensing board convener Councillor Norman Work said he is prepared to meet with Mr Malcolm to discuss his concerns.

“Applications for 5am licences, whether on an occasional basis or as a variation to an existing licence, are considered by the Licensing Board on an individual basis, in consultation with Police Scotland, and are often granted with attached conditions,” he adds.

“We recently consulted on the terms of the Licensing Board’s policy, which included provision for the two-hour extension of licensed hours during the festival and festive periods.

“The police response to the consultation commented about the increased use of extension of licensed hours other than at festival and festive periods.

“This was duly taken account of by the board when the new policy statement was agreed.”

Chief Superintendent Sean Scott, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, said: “I want to make it clear that the safety of our officers and staff is our top priority and their welfare considerations are at the forefront of our planning discussions with partners such as the Licensing Authority ahead of major events, such as the Edinburgh Festival, where licensed premises have extended hours of operation.

“Regardless of the opening hours, our licensed premises are subject to, our approach remains the same.

“We engage regularly with staff at these venues to ensure the terms of the licences are being adhered to and any offences we observe are reported to the Licensing Board.

“In addition, we communicate with the public through the media and on our social media channels to remind those enjoying the nighttime economy to drink responsibly and not become involved in any criminal offences or behave in a way that leaves you vulnerable.

“My officers have the right to conduct their duties without being assaulted or subject to abuse and should such incidents occur, we will investigate thoroughly to bring those responsible to justice.”

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