Operation Winter City aids safety this Christmas - Murray Tait

I have responsibility for the teams covering the city centre and we have been incredibly busy policing the Operation Winter City deployments to keep all those shopping, socialising and enjoying Christmas events in the area safe.

Chief Inspector Murray Tait

To date, the operation has been going really well and the feedback from my officers is that the overwhelming majority of the public are enjoying the festivities safely and responsibly and the number of arrests being made for offences such as theft, robbery or alcohol-related disorder and violence have been fairly small.

Nevertheless, we will continue to provide a visible and engaging presence to offer reassurance to those who live, work and visit the city centre, while at the same time deterring criminal activity and responding to any incidents that arise.

I also want to give a huge thanks to our colleagues at Waverley Market for once again providing us with space within their mall, which we have converted into a ‘pop-up’ police station. It’s so important for us to have a base that is within the footprint of the Christmas events taking place and Waverley Market provides just that. It also gives our hard-working officers a place where they can go during their break to warm up and get some respite and for that I am extremely grateful.

While a large number of the officers involved in Operation Winter City are from the South East, such a large initiative requires additional support and so we’ve been able to call upon colleagues from elsewhere in Edinburgh, as well as from neighbouring divisions such as Fife, Forth Valley and the Lothians and Scottish Borders. We can and have also been able to utilise specialist support services such as police dogs, Road Policing, CID and Public Order. The availability of such a range of resources is one of the benefits of Police Scotland and I know that the officers leading Operation Winter City are thankful for this support.

We are now just a few short days away from Christmas, but the public can rest assured that the level of resourcing and response we provide will not diminish and we have appropriate resources in place throughout Christmas, Hogmanay and into the New Year, to deal with any and all incidents that present themselves. Please remember that if you need us, we are here for you and that in the case of an emergency you can call 999, with any other inquiries or requests going via our 101 number.

As you may have seen, our Edinburgh Division Facebook and Twitter channels have been posting a variety of festive and winter safety messages aimed at helping our communities safeguard themselves against crime and ensure they remain safe if travelling over the holiday season. This advice can also be given if you visit our ‘pop-up police station’ in Waverley Mall, or by speaking to any of the officers out on Operation Winter City patrols.

However, this advice is also available 24/7 and 365 days a year by visiting the Police Scotland website www.scotland.police.uk and I would encourage anyone looking for useful information on how to protect their home, their belongings and themselves, to visit.

On behalf of all of Edinburgh Division, I want to finish this column by wishing our communities a very Merry Christmas, if you observe the holiday and a Happy New Year for when 2023 comes.

Chief Inspector Murray Tait, Local Area Commander, South East Edinburgh