New 50-officer police unit launched to tackle Edinburgh city centre crime
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Dedicated £2.7m police team deployed to combat retail and knife crime and will be funded by the visitor levy
A new dedicated police unit of almost 50 officers has been launched to tackle rising crime and anti-social behaviour in Edinburgh city centre.
The unit, which is estimated to cost £2.7 million over the next three years, will be funded by Edinburgh’s visitor levy. The force hopes that the visibility of more police on the streets will help improve quality of life for businesses and residents.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson, who announced the rollout at the City Chambers on Thursday, said: “I worked in a version of a city centre policing unit when I was a young officer.
“My vision for this team is that they're out and about patrolling the beats of the city centre. They are speaking to residents, getting to know people, getting to know the vulnerable people so we can support them more effectively and getting to know the communities so we can listen to their concerns and so that communities can see us acting and responding to those concerns.”
The unit will have a “day one” measurable impact on policing in the city centre, according to Chief Superintendent Robertson.
He said: “Yesterday, we didn't have this team in high visibility patrol on the high street. This afternoon, that's exactly what they're going to be doing. There's going to be an immediate visible impact because of the number of officers that are patrolling the city centre.”
As Chief Superintendent, he will also report to the Culture and Communities Committee twice a year focusing on proactivity, productivity and performance measures.
Councillor Margaret Graham – convener of the committee – said that she hopes residents will be able to see prolonged benefits.
She said: “The unit starts today so it's going to be up and live during the festival. Going forward it's still going to be here and we still have some of the issues that we have to deal with. So I'm very hopeful that that's how things will happen.”
Recent police data shows that shoplifting in Edinburgh has risen by 182% over the course of the last decade. It is an issue that has consistently reared its head in commentary around the city centre – Chief Superintendent Robertson said the unit is an acknowledgement of and reaction to residents and business concerts.
He said: “What I would say I've listened to those concerns. This new unit is being put in place to specifically tackle those issues. And I would just reassure those members of the community who are concerned that they'll see the visible impact. They'll see officers. They'll get to know them, hopefully. We'll attend community council meetings. We'll engage with staff working in shops. And I suppose my message is really that we have listened and we are acting.”
There have also been concerns raised around the prevalence of knife crime in Edinburgh city centre. Across the city, police data shows that weapons possession is more of a problem than it was a decade ago. In 2025-26, there were 581 crimes recorded with the tag “weapons possession (used)” – more than double that of 2017-18.
Chief Superintendent Robertson said Edinburgh continues to be a safe place to live – but knife crime should concern everyone.
He said: “Far too many people are carrying weapons and far too many people are willing to use them. We've seen devastating consequences that we just cannot tolerate and that will be a key focus of this team. Edinburgh City Centre is a safe place to live, work and visit. I'm very proud of that. But we can never be complacent. We have to be as proactive as we can to tackle this challenge that we're facing right now.”
Whilst the unit will be a visible demonstration of an effort to combat the issues that Edinburgh city centre faces, Chief Superintendent Robertson said further work will need to take place to engage with young people around the issue of knife crime and anti-social behaviour in Edinburgh.
He said: “I've said this publicly, a lot of people look at some of the challenges we're seeing with anti-social behaviour, violence, weapon carrying, and it can be quick to point the finger at young people. Let me be clear, young people are not the problem, young people are the solution. It's a minority of individuals and we all need to work collectively.
“We're trying really hard to listen to the voice of young people, to give them a platform, to include them in the changes, to work with them, to influence how we police. And that feedback will be put straight into what we're doing here, and we'll see that play out in the streets.”