Crime prevention team will be out and about in communities - Sam Ainslie

Our Local Police Plan for 2023 to 2026 outlines our priorities, shaped by issues and themes that you told us mattered most to you.

Chief Inspector Sam Ainslie

These included housebreaking and acquisitive crime, violence and disorder and anti-social behaviour, and given that I lead our Divisional Prevention, Interventions and Partnerships (PIP) team, I wished to use this column to highlight some of our themed prevention work.

While our dedicated local housebreaking team continues to target and pursue offenders, we remain committed to seeking to stop the crimes occurring in the first place. Our PIP officers routinely provide crime prevention advice to householders and businesses, in person, and by utilising social media to raise awareness of crime trends, provide security advice and promote helpful networks, such as Neighbourhood Watch Scotland alert. See www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk for more details.

It may seem overly simple but as the nights get darker earlier, keeping windows and doors locked, fitting an intruder alarm to cover your home, garage and shed, fitting security lighting covering your home, garage and shed, ensuring that your locks are robust, which includes those securing your garage and shed, using timer switches to turn your lights on, recording details of and security marking valuable property within your home, garage and shed all merit consideration. Indeed, the PIP team will be out and about with local community teams and Special Constables over the coming weeks, so please come and say hello and they will be delighted to offer you crime prevention tips.

Whilst Edinburgh is a safe city, we can experience disorder and anti-social behaviour associated with the night-time economy as an example. Operation Nightguard provides our high visibility policing presence within the city centre and environs during weekend periods, providing reassurance to our local communities, preventing issues and robustly dealing with incidents, should they occur. This sees us routinely working with partners including Street Assist, Taxi Marshalls, City of Edinburgh Council colleagues including CCTV operators and Licensing Standard Officers, and indeed, licensed premises staff to seek to prevent and respond to incidents.

As a further preventative measure, we routinely apply Think Twice bail conditions, which mean that if you are arrested for an alcohol-related violent crime, you’ll be banned from all licensed premises in the city centre until the conclusion of your trial. Please don’t take the risk.

Don’t forget that our Police Scotland website provides lots of useful advice across a range of topics, such as home and personal safety, including advice on keeping safe during a night out. This can be viewed by visiting www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information.

I am acutely aware of the negative impact of anti-social behaviour on individuals and local communities. Issues can often be complex, with practical and sustainable solutions relying on us working with a suite of local partners, both statutory and voluntary, calling on individual and collective expertise and resources to develop and thereafter deliver bespoke action plans.

The Community Safety and Justice Partnership, of which I am a member, have recently launched a consultation to inform the development of the city’s Community Safety and Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy 2023-2028. The consultation is open until December 6, 2023 and I would encourage you to have your say by accessing the consultation online at www.consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/bi/community-safety-strategy

Follow Edinburgh Division on Facebook and/ or Twitter to keep up to date with what we are doing to ensure that the Capital remains a safe and welcoming city for all.

Superintendent Sam Ainslie, Edinburgh Division