Please keep playing your part in stopping the spread of Covid-19 – Chief Supt Sean Scott

Police Scotland is keen to play its part in Edinburgh’s recovery from the virus, writes Chief Supt Sean Scott

Chief Superintendent Sean Scott is the Divisonal Commander for Edinburgh (Picture: Neil Hanna)

In my last column, the country was moving into phase two of easing lockdown restrictions and it is with great relief and pride in this city’s efforts, that, as you read this, we are now well into the third phase.

Make no mistake, we simply could not have reached this point had it not been for Scotland’s overwhelming compliance with physical distancing restrictions, in which the communities of the Capital have played a vital role.

However, what remains important to remember is that the virus has not disappeared, and the danger and risk it presents to us all are still there.

While we have had to take action on occasions when we’ve identified people in breach of the guidelines – whether engagement, education, explanation (and as a last resort enforcement) – the vast majority of you have done your part to help tackle the spread of coronavirus, protect our NHS and save lives.

I understand the sacrifices that many of you have had to make over the past few months, including refraining from seeing family and friends, adapting to new working practices – such as working from home – and closing your businesses for long periods of time.

For many, the complete closure of your business has now ended and you are able to commence trading again, but we know that for some, these very trying times have resulted in loss of revenue and even permanent closures.

As a division, we are not blind to the financial hardships many Edinburgh residents have faced, and will continue to face, as a result of Covid-19 and I want to assure you that we recognise that there is a role for Police Scotland to play in the city’s recovery.

Along with with key partners across the public, private and third sectors, we are working to address a range of issues that have been highlighted by the Poverty Commission’s interim report into the Covid crisis.

Our joint aim is to ensure wellbeing for the communities and people of Edinburgh as we move from recovery to renewal in line with Edinburgh’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan.

While the spread of the virus has changed the way in which we conduct some of our day-to-day roles, our commitment to providing an engaging and visible presence throughout the Capital remains the same.

Rest assured that in the event of an emergency, your 999 call will be handled with the utmost seriousness and haste and all necessary police resources will be utilised in our response. Likewise, we know that not all crimes carry with them an immediate threat to life or public safety, but can seriously and negatively impact on a community and our local policing teams across the city continue to address these matters on a daily basis, through diary appointments, local surgeries and by undertaking high-visibility patrols on our streets.

Now would normally be the time where I would begin alluding to our plans for Operation Summer City, as the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe would only be a couple of short weeks away from beginning in earnest. However, as we know, the Festival will not take place this year and we are still watching intently to establish what summer tourism in Edinburgh will look like this year.

While it will almost certainly have less of an international flavour, we are still bracing ourselves for large numbers of people from across Scotland and other parts of the UK visiting during the coming weeks and months in order to savour all this amazing city has to offer.

We will soon be finalising our policing numbers for the annual policing operation and our priorities remain the same, regardless of how many people are enjoying their summer with us. Our focus will continue to be on ensuring people look after their belongings, drink responsibly and plan journeys to and from parts of the city in advance. As always, we’ll utilise our relevant social media channels to publicise this information, so please follow Edinburgh Police Division on Facebook and @EdinburghPolice on Twitter.

Edinburgh, and Scotland as a whole, now finds itself in a state of “new normality” and while this will continue to present challenges, I want to take this opportunity to assure all of you that whenever you need us, we will be there.

Chief Superintendent Sean Scott is the Divisonal Commander for Edinburgh