Two men charged over bike thefts from Edinburgh hospital staff including doctor working in Covid-19 ward

Two men – aged 17-year-old and 21 – have been charged in connection with the theft of three bikes from an Edinburgh hospital.

The Edinburgh Police official twitter account said the bicycles were taken from the Western General Hospital took place on May 11th and 12th, with a further theft from Pilton Drive North.

One of the bicycles stolen belonged to doctor Niamh Cooper, who was working a shift in the Covid ward at the time.

One of the stolen bicycles.

She says the bike has not yet been returned to her but that police are pursuing a possible lead.

It comes after police revealed yesterday that three youths - aged 16, 17 and 19 - had been charged over the thefts of three other bikes from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Multiple NHS workers had been posting on social media about their bikes being stolen from the hospital in recent days.

Police said yesterday that officers have teamed up with NHS Lothian to help support staff with crime prevention measures at the ERI, including bike marking events, along with securing funding from the health authority to put in "permanent prevention systems."

Inspector Norman Towler described the theft of the bikes from frontline staff as "beyond comprehension."