Summer was fun, now let’s make autumn go well - David Robertson
With the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe having ended I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what has been an extremely busy period for Edinburgh Division.
Throughout the month of August, we saw the Capital’s population double to around one million people as visitors from across the world came to enjoy the sights and attractions.
Operation Summer City was launched and we had unformed officers from throughout the city, supported by colleagues from neighbouring divisions, undertaking high-visibility patrols within the city centre to engage with the public, offer reassurance and respond to any incidents.
My sincerest thanks go to the officers, staff, Special Constables and Police Scotland Youth Volunteers members who supported Summer City and made a vital contribution to keeping the city safe over the summer.
In addition to the demands of the Festival, Edinburgh also welcomed both Oasis and AC/DC to Murrayfield as well as Sam Fender and Chappel Roan to Inglilston for sold-out concerts that brought music lovers from all over the country together in the Capital.
Effective multi-agency plans and strong partnerships ensured these events passed without serious incident and disruption to the wider public was kept to a minimum.
Once again, thanks to all of those involved in the successful delivery of these operations.
Now we cast an eye towards the big events of autumn - Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night. I want to assure you that planning has been underway since November 2024 to protect communities and prevent the levels of disorder experienced in recent years.
Yesterday we supported our partners at Fearless with the delivery of a youth summit, called Igniting Change, where we engaged with high-school students from across the city to get their views, opinions and concerns in relation to Bonfire Night and firework-related crime disorder.
The event was really well received by those in attendance and provided us with invaluable insight that we can take forward in our youth engagement strategies for deterring and preventing crime.
Finally I acknowledge the outstanding efforts of the city centre’s local policing teams who, with support of colleagues from the Retail Crime Taskforce, have been making a significant impact in tackling shop crime.
Over the last six months, our work alongside the Taskforce, Retailers Against Crime, Essential Edinburgh and Apex Radios has seen 72 people charged with 457 retail offences.
Enforcement activity continues on a daily basis and we will not become complacent in our efforts to reduce retail crime and make the city centre a hostile environment for retail offenders.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh