By Tony Garner and Shane Barry
A short video report on criticism of Lothian and Borders police for failing to respond quickly enough to a 999 call-out.
Police rapped over 999 tardiness
February 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Charity Accused of Being ‘Eugenical’
October 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Drug users can be paid to be sterilised
By Ryan C. Gavan
The current campaign by U.S. charity Project Prevention to persuade drug and alcohol addicts to be sterilised in return for a payment of £200 has been condemned by addiction support groups.
David Liddel, Director of the Scottish Drug Forum, believes “the tactics and underlying agenda of this organisation smack of the discredited eugenics movements of the early 20th century.” He continued “all women, irrespective of whether they are drug addicts or not, should be offered family planning advice.”
Project Prevention was started in the United States by Barbara Harris, a child welfare campaigner .The charity’s remit is to prevent children from being born with birth defects as a result of drug dependent pregnancies. Their website states “the main objective is public awareness to the problem of addicts exposing their unborn child to drugs during pregnancy.”
The charity argues that “the average number of children per addict is 3.” This, they feel, can be easily prevented through cash incentives for long-term birth control or total sterilisation.
The number of children born to drug addicts is on the rise in the UK. A survey carried out by the University of Aberdeen shows it has increased 30% since 1998. Last week the first UK addict took up the charity’s offer. The addict, from Leicester, was paid after having a vasectomy.
This has been likened to the programme run by Dundee Council to convince smokers to quit by paying them £50 a month.
Fireworks cause 999 calls surge
November 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Bonfires have been keeping emergency services busy this year
Emergency services in in Edinburgh and Fife dealt with nearly 500 calls on Guy Fawkes night, almost five times the amount for an average night.
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service alone responded to 429 calls, most dealing with out of control bonfire and fireworks displays, however no serious blazes have been reported this year.
Two homes in Fife were damaged by bonfires that were too close to the walls but nobody in the area was hurt.
A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders police said: “This is traditionally a very busy time of year for emergency services but many of the calls could be avoided if people were more aware of the safety of themselves and others.’
“Fireworks are essentially explosives and should only be bought from reputable retailers.’
“Uncontrolled or badly sited bonfire sites can also put a strain on the emergency services. We advise everyone to stay safe and stick to supervised bonfires and fireworks displays.”
Fire services across Scotland are expecting Thursday to be the start of a very busy weekend. In Glasgow a man was admitted to hospital for smoke inhalation after a firework went through the open window of his flat.
Fire crews in Bridge of Weir in Renfrewshire came under attack from local youths as they tried to extinguish a fire, nobody was injured.
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue responded to over 600 calls last night. Four times higher than their average.
City scheme praised at Scottish Policing Awards
November 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Nick Eardley
An Edinburgh scheme established to tackle anti-social behaviour has won a top award at the Scottish Policing Awards, after a dramatic fall in crime in city centre venues.
Unight- a partnership between 45 capital bars and nightclubs won the outstanding achievement award at the event after the number of serious assaults in member was halved.
The Unight partnership won the Outstanding Achievement award
Sarah David, chair of the group and owner of Cabaret Voltaire, said:”The fact that every venue in Edinburgh has stepped up and taken ownership in trying to create a safer night-time economy for our patrons and staff is what has made Unight stand out.”
As part of the scheme, revellers banned from one venue are subsequently banned from other member venues. information on offenders is also shared between members.
Statistics have shown that the number of serious assaults in venues fell by 50 per cent in the first nine months of the scheme, whilst drug offences fell by 55 per cent. Overall crime outside venues was down 21 per cent in the same period.
David added: “Unight and its unique banning policy and data sharing acts as a deterrent, and I fell that this outcome is one of the resounding successes of the partnership.
“Unight are extremely please with this award which recognises the great work carried out through this unique partnership between all 45 entertainment venues, Lothian and Borders Police and the City of Edinburgh Council.”
Davis’ comments were echoed by Inspector Gordon Hunter of Lothian and Borders Police licensing department. He said: “There’s been a lot of hard work involved and it’s unusual to see such co-operation between rival businesses to achieve results.
“The fact that people can be banned from every nightclub is, in reality, quite a big stick to use. Unight has had a direct effect on reducing crime.”
Amongst other capital-based schemes which received praise at the awards were Operation Evolve, which was highly commended in the Criminal Justice and Tackling Crime category. The operation saw police work with health officials to support drug users during a crackdown on drug dealers in the Lothians.
New Appeal for Missing Teen
October 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
by Matthew Nelson
Edinburgh police have released an appeal for new information on the whereabouts of missing teenager Jason Black. Black was last sighted on the 8th of October as he traveled to Panmuir School. It was a journey that Black did not complete and he has not been seen since.
A police spokesperson said: “It is now almost two weeks since Jason was last seen, and we are at the stage in our enquiries where there are significant concerns over his safety and well-being.”
Black’s family are understandably distressed and it was added that they “are desperate for any information about his whereabouts.”
Black is described as being 6 feet tall, having short brown hair and blue eyes. The last time he was sighted he was wearing a dark colored jumper, blue jeans and Nike trainers with a golden swoosh symbol.
Members of the public with any information are being urged to contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131.
Remains found in garden are confirmed as missing woman’s.
October 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Emma Hamilton
Human remains of a woman missing for more than a year have been found in a garden in Edinburgh.
Police confirmed yesterday , after forensic tests, that the body remains found in the Duddingston area of Edinburgh are those of missing woman Samantha Wright.
Police began a search on Monday evening in Magdalene Drive, a council estate and found Ms Wr
ight’s remains in the back garden.
Missing Woman found dead, Samantha Wright
It has been reported that officers are still investigating the scene and continuing to dig up the area for more evidence.
The 25 year-old, originally from Stevenage, Hertfordshire moved to Edinburgh 3 years ago, after visiting the city with her family. She was last seen on 12th June 2008 leaving the Jobcentre in High Riggs.
Ms Wright was reported missing by her family in January 2009 after they failed to receive a phone call from her at Christmas or her birthday. Suspicions were also raised when they discovered Ms Wright had not used her mobile phone or withdrawn any money from her bank account.
A man, Robert Chalmers age 57 has been arrested and charged in connection with the findings. According to reports, a man, suspected to be Chalmers, was seen on CCTV footage walking alongside Samantha on the day she went missing.
Chalmers was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.
Residents in Magdalene Drive, where Ms Wright’s remains were found are said to be extremely shocked at the discovery and are now fearing for their children’s safety as many of them play outside around the area of the findings.
Lothian and Borders Police have confirmed they have now closed the missing persons case and have reopened it as an enquiry as to Ms Wright died. Chief Inspector Paul Bullen said “It is with great sadness that we bring our missing persons investigation to a close and must now begin a new line of enquiry to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.”
Police are urging anyone who knows what happened to Samantha between being seen on CCTV in Edinburgh’s east end to being found in Magdalene Drive, to contact them immediately.
EXCLUSIVE: Police admit percentage of drink drivers unknown
January 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
By Sarah Hunter-Argyle
Lothian and Borders Police admit that a recent drink driving campaign doesn’t tell us whether there are fewer drink drivers on the road.
A few years ago they stopped recording negative test results during drink driving campaigns which means they don’t know if the percentage of drink drivers has gone up or down.
Operations Inspector with the Road Policing Branch, Jillian Kerr, told Dunedin Napier News: “You can’t really tell what it is that has brought the figure down… and one of my bugbears personally is that a couple of years ago ACPOS [Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland] decided that we wouldn’t record negative breath tests, we’d only record positive. So yes we’ve got less but is that because we’ve breath tested less?”
A recent four week campaign run over the festive period caught 93 drink drivers, which seemed to be an improvement on last year’s figures when 120 people were arrested over the same period.
Kerr said: “It would be better to say we’ve tested more and we’ve caught less, you can’t really tell if drink driving is down if you don’t know. I would imagine we did test more because of the amount of officers we had out but we can’t say that because we don’t know.”
Lothian and Borders drink driving crackdown
December 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Lothian and Borders police caught twenty-seven motorists in the first week of their annual Christmas crackdown. Inspector Jill Kerr enforces the message that it is always dangerous to drive under the influence of alcohol, even if it is just the one glass.
Witnesses wanted after Edinburgh assault
December 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Robin Prince
Police are appealing for witnesses after a 22-year-old woman was assaulted in Edinburgh yesterday morning.
The attack took place between 1am and 1.30am as the victim was making her way home along Lothian Road.
The woman, believed to be a student was confronted entering the stairwell of her flat. A man grabbed hold of her waist from behind and assaulted her before making a run for it.
The man is described as white, 5ft 9in tall, 30 to 40-years-old with a bald or shaven head. He was wearing a black shiny bomber-type hip-length jacket and dark clothing.
A police spokesperson said: “This was a very serious incident which left the victim extremely distressed.
“Anyone who was in the Lothian Road area at the time and saw a person matching the description of the suspect should contact police immediately.
“It is believed that the woman screamed during the attack, and similarly anyone who heard a disturbance should also come forward.”
With the capital’s crime rates expected to increase over the holiday period as students and young professionals alike are celebrating late into the night, Lothian and Borders Police are encouraging party goers to think about their safety and report any incidents.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike McCormick said: “These [assaults] are some of the worst crimes we see in our society, and it is vital that we do everything we can to ensure that when victims come forward they are dealt with sensitively, and evidence is gathered quickly and professionally.
“Everyone likes to have a good time over the Christmas period but we all must make sure that we get ourselves and our friends home safely. He added: “It is unfortunate such assaults occur, but if we are vigilant and sensible we can limit the possibility of further incidents happening.”
Anyone with any information can contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.
Police Campaign To Stop Drink Drivers
December 4, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Lothian and Borders Police are launching a campaign next week in order to clamp down on drink driving over the Christmas period. Here with the full story is Ashley Anderson.
Missing man’s body found in South Queensferry
November 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment
By Carla Simpson
A body found in the water at Port Edgar is thought to be that of a man reported missing earlier in the week.
Lothian and Borders Police believe that the body, which was discovered by a member of the public yesterday, is that of Peter Ingram, 37.
Mr Ingram went missing from his home in Meadowbank on Sunday and was last seen in the Restalrig area on Tuesday morning. His family and friends said his disappearance was very out of character and expressed concerns for his welfare.
The police are currently awaiting formal identification and say that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body.
