Edinburgh officers supporting our community policing response

Police Scotland officers across Edinburgh have been praised for showing great commitment as they continued to support their communities following a highly demanding period.

As reported crime returned to pre-lockdown levels in a number of categories, those with additional and complex demands and an online element also continued to grow during the first half of 2021-22.

Chief Superintendent Sean Scott said: “I am extremely proud of the hard work of our officers during a summer period which presented an exceptional level of demand on our officers and staff, as the needs of our communities changed as the country emerged from the coronavirus restrictions.”

The latest Police Scotland Q2 report shows that sexual crimes in the Edinburgh City division saw a slight increase (4.29%) with 660 being reported compared to the figure (633) recorded during the same period last year.

Violent crime between April and September 2021 saw a slight rise of 8.4% - from 440 reports to 477. A small rise in the number of common assaults – from 2796 to 3043 (8.8%) – can be attributed to the re-opening of licenced premises and larger gatherings taking place.

Chief Superintendent Scott continued: “Supporting the victims of sexual crime and targeting the perpetrators remains an absolute priority for Edinburgh City officers. This also underlines the importance of the work we are undertaking as part of our innovative and ground-breaking ThatGuy campaign.

“Our officers will show the same diligence and hard work to keep our communities safe as the equally busy Festive Period approaches.”