David Reid: Soccer title race, Scottish election – a busy spring looms
After all the challenges of the last few months we continue to respond to the needs of the city as we forge ahead with plans for another incredibly busy spring and summer in the Capital.
The planning is well on its way for the Scottish elections, the end of a busy football season that heavily features our Edinburgh clubs, as well as the planning for numerous events and the wider summer festival arrangements.
Throughout the year a significant policing response has been necessary for planned and spontaneous events and protests, it is imperative that we balance the rights of protest groups whilst ensuring public safety, this is central to our part in the wider multi agency city delivery.
We experience a large array of demonstrations in the Capital, most of these are lawful and peaceful, these again have taken place at various sites across the city from those seen in the city centre, residential areas, as well as at our iconic sites.
We understand at times these events can have an effect on community tensions and often can relate to topics that are complex and bring numerous views and opinions.
The city provides an important platform for people to express views for local and wider geopolitical issues, we ensure that we police these events in a proportionate and professional manner, utilising a range of specialist officers to meet the needs of the operations.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the national football team’s qualification for the World Cup later this year.
We are working collaboratively with the various planned events in Edinburgh and our licensed premises to ensure that everybody can enjoy the journey.
You will also be acutely aware the SPL fixtures for both Hearts and Hibs are of great importance to the overall standings in the league, the forthcoming fixtures will see a combination of conventional and specialist police response working with the clubs to ensure safety in the stadium and our wider communities.
Our teams have supported Scottish rugby for this year’s very exciting Six Nations matches; we now prepare for the new winter tournament at Murrayfield which will welcome the world’s best teams to the city.
We also look forward to supporting a busy music schedule across the various large scale venues, as the global stars descend across the city we will work organisers to provide safe events that showcase our city in the best light.
Thank you for the continued support, patience and understanding as we help deliver numerous operations over the summer months.
Superintendent David Reid, Specialist Operations