Comment: A rude awakening for drugs gangs

Police officers arrest a man following a drugs raid on a flat in Slateford

It is 7am and your neighbourhood drug dealer is fast asleep in bed or perhaps, if he is an early riser, munching on his morning toast. The next minute, his front door comes crashing in, and police dressed like they are about to attend a riot come storming in.

Just imagining the look on his face will be enough to make most people smile. The prospect of some of seeing some of the people responsible for putting heroin and other hard drugs on our streets is an even more cheering.

The truth is that, while their use may be on the wane, these substances continue to cause untold misery in many parts of the city. They ruin lives and the dealers who bring them here make Edinburgh a less safe place to live for us all. Thankfully, gun crime remains relatively rare in the city, but all too often it is connected to the drugs trade.

The public wants to see the police on the front foot in the battle against these criminal gangs. The raids carried out across the city yesterday are a clear sign that this is exactly what they are doing.

Tackling drug dealers, catching housebreakers and targetting the motorists who drive dangerously are among the priorities that the public wants them to pursue.