Now football’s finished, bring on the festivals - Superintendent Mark Rennie

The Scottish Cup Final at Hampden last Saturday marked the culmination of a busy football season, where officers in Edinburgh provided a visible presence at many high profile matches, including Edinburgh derbies and games against both sides of the Old Firm.

Superintendent Mark Rennie

While the outcome of the final meant no victory parade would take place within the Capital, we had, nevertheless, started preparing for such an event and I'm grateful for the support of all relevant partners involved in these discussions.

Looking forward, we are now getting ever closer to the return of the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe and we've already held a number of planning meetings with key partners to ensure the city remains safe for all those visiting, as well as those who live and work here.

More information on keeping yourself and your belongings safe will be issued as we get closer to the event, so please follow our social media channels to keep up to date.

We expect this year's Festival to be much more like the events experienced pre-COVID, meaning Edinburgh's population will double over the summer and the world's media will be watching. I want to reassure all those planning on attending, as well as the general public, that we will be ready and additional police resources will be in place across the city.

The success of any policing event is dependent on the professionalism and dedication of our officers, who, on a daily basis, serve their communities with distinction. For major events such as the Festival, and the other things keeping us busy over the summer, we will be supported by specialist and national resources from across Police Scotland.

I want to thank all involved in policing within Edinburgh throughout the coming months for their outstanding support.

I must also recognise the extremely important role our police volunteers play in our operations. This includes Special Constables and Police Scotland Youth Volunteers. All of these individuals give up their personal time to make a positive contribution to their communities and their efforts deserve to be celebrated and recognised.

That is why the 1st June marks launch of Volunteers Week, where we raise awareness of the work of our volunteers and encourage others to get involved.

You can find out more about volunteering with us by visiting www.scotland.police.uk.

I want to finish up this column by reiterating our usual advice for when it comes to summertime safety – in particular when you are leaving your homes unattended, or when you are out and about on the city’s roads.

We will (hopefully) be experiencing warmer weather for longer periods of time and if you are cooling your house by opening windows and doors, then please secure these when you are not within the property. As always, consider security measures such as robust locks, motion-activated lighting and CCTV.

For those of us looking to travel around the city, or further afield, please remember to treat all other road users with respect and courtesy and to not behave in a way which puts you, or others at risk.

Superintendent Mark Rennie, Edinburgh Division