T/Chief Supt Richard Thomas: Bravery awards are well-earned

This month I'd like to acknowledge the outstanding work that my officers and Edinburgh Division's partners have been involved in recently, as we work together to make the city as safe as possible for those who live, visit and work here.

Interim Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, Chief Superintendent Richard Thomas. Picture: Ian Georgeson

On Friday 26 January, I attended a training day at Drylaw police station, which included inputs from the council’s Locality Manager and Head of Youth Justice. Huge efforts are being made to improve the quality of life for local residents and overall crime in the Forth Ward (North West Edinburgh) has fallen 19 per cent over the last five years as a direct result of the close working partnerships between police and the City of Edinburgh Council.

We always look to support our partners with community improvement initiatives through our city-wide locality improvement plans and will continue to support ongoing multi-agency programmes such as Stronger North.

On Thursday 1 February Edinburgh Division held a local recognition awards ceremony for Edinburgh officers who went above and beyond the call of duty to protect the public from harm, save lives and deliver the highest level of policing service to our communities.

Some certificates of recognition were awarded to officers who successfully came to the aid of men and women who had attempted to take their own lives. Other recipients were acknowledged for apprehending a man who carried out a knife attack in broad daylight. One of the officers being recognised was hurt while arresting another man in possession of a knife.

The awards also acknowledged the success of our violence reduction unit for their work in reducing robbery across the city and bringing recidivist offenders to justice. Thanks in part to their efforts, crimes of robbery have fallen by more than 53 per cent in Edinburgh since 2012.

These incidents are only a few examples of the work that our officers carry out every day in the city to keep people safe, sometimes at great personal risk.

It was inspiring and humbling to see the officers receive their awards, which is small recognition for the work that they do. I would like to place on record my thanks to all of those who work within Edinburgh for their continued dedication and professionalism.

Looking ahead, we are slowly but surely starting to see our evenings getting lighter as we approach the spring. The increase in daylight is a welcome relief following a long winter and we are currently working really hard to ensure we stay on top of the types of crime that tend to arise during longer evenings. We are ready to deal with antisocial behaviour, disorder and offences involving motorcycles.

Through Operation Soteria we continue to work alongside communities and partner agencies to respond to all reports of motorcycle crime and where possible to prevent them from occurring. I recognise that for many members of out communities this issue is a significant concern. I assure you we are doing everything we can and utilising all resources at our disposal to address this matter and proactively target offenders.

School link officers will be holding seminars to warn young people of the risks associated with crimes, such as motor vehicle theft and dangerous driving, antisocial behaviour and underage drinking. I’d also ask that parents and guardians talk to the young people in their care to keep them out of trouble and safe from harm.

I said in my first column last month, that my appointment would not result in any noticeable change to the way we police within Edinburgh, and I would like to reiterate this point through the divisional priorities we have set for the coming year.

Our priorities remain the same as last year: targetting acquisitive crime, antisocial behaviour and organised crime, keeping the city’s road network safe, and protecting the public from the threat of terrorism.

T/Chief Supt Richard Thomas, Interim Divisional Commander for Edinburgh