The following  has been extracted from the City Centre Community Policing Team Newsletter sent to the New Town & Broughton Community Council covering the previous month up until 9th June .

Although we have made comments on the timeliness  of the content of these communications, we appreciate receiving these regular updates from the City Centre Community Policing Team based at the West End Police Station. 

The following extracts from the full newsletter may be of interest. We are hoping that we have a Police Scotland Community officer present in person at our next in-person  NTBCC meeting on 13th June.

Looking Back
This month has seen a continuation of the work of the “Tyre extinguishers” in the New Town and beyond, details are being noted in relation to either breach of the peace or culpable and reckless conduct dependant on the nature of the incident. It is very hard to pinpoint who is doing this as it seems likely to be a number of individuals working towards a common goal. Most of the areas they target are away from CCTV however some of the leaflets left on the vehicles have been sent for forensic analysis. Please continue to be vigilant to those intent on letting down tyres on SUV style vehicles who seem to be doing so in the hours of darkness. Also, please ensure your vehicle, tyres in particular are correctly inflated before driving to minimise any risks to yourself and others.

On a similar environmental theme, a large window was smashed at Barclays bank on Princes Street by an extinction rebellion activist, part of a series of vandalism in Glasgow and Aberdeen, a female has been charged and reported for this incident. Barclays is a target due to its record in investment in fossil fuels.

What We’re Noticing
There have been a spate of vehicle thefts in the New Town. A Landrover was stolen opposite Broughton St Marys Parish church and a motor bike was stolen in the early evening at Fettes Row which has since been recovered thanks to a tracker installed by the owner.

A further motor bike was stolen by three males with balaclavas on George Street. Two of the males were on scooters and the third male drove off on the bike around midnight  on George Street, a person has since been identified for this theft.

There was just one break in to a domestic premises on Great King Street where a male has climbed in an open window and then fled when confronted by the occupier but not before they have managed to steal some small electrical goods. The housebreaking enquiry team have a suspect in mind for this crime. We have been giving attention to areas where we still receive complaints re speeding in the 20mph roads of the New Town with several drivers warned and tickets issues to those travelling at excessive speed. One of these offenders was the driver of a private hire car and he has been reported to the CAB office, a joint police/council department who monitor drivers issued with taxi licenses. As this limit has been in place for several years there is really no excuse for us not to all be aware and follow the 20’s plenty.

Looking Forward
The City Centre continues to get busier now that restrictions have been removed. Resources are already being put in place for Operation Summer City when the festival returns. Officers from divisions out with Edinburgh will be amongst the additional officers being deployed. This will extensively boost the amount of officers that are within the city centre at any one time to ensure that tourists and residents alike can enjoy the festival safely.

If there are any issues which we feel you should know about, we will of course update you in the forthcoming newsletters, but if there is anything you would like us to address, or crime prevention information you would like us to provide, please let us know and we will tailor the content accordingly.

City Centre Community Policing Team

The full newsletter will be discussed  at the June NTBCC meeting and included in the meeting minutes.