Leader comment: Is a six hour police response reasonable?

Steve Anderson had to wait six and half hours for police to respond to a report of a break-in, he tells us today. It's probably a sign of the times that some may well consider that to be speedy response.

He is understandably upset, more so because the glaziers who arrived to fix the damage actually arrived ahead of the boys in blue.

But should we expect officers to respond within minutes to reports of a housebreaking where the perpetrators have long since departed?

Yes of course we should, but the fact is that it is just not realistic.

The police are as stretched as all of our public services and clearly have to prioritise incidents. That of course doesn’t help people like Mr Anderson who has now suffered four break-ins in two-and-a-half-years.

And we should not downplay the emotional as well as financial impact that a crime like housebreaking can have on the victim.

Edinburgh divisional commander Chief Superintendent Gareth Blair tells us today tackling housebreaking is a top priority but 999 calls are graded appropriately and he’s satisfied with the current provision.

We suspect Mr Anderson and other housebreaking victims may require more convincing.