Tag: Crime

West Edinburgh sex attacker to appear in court

Police have arrested a man in connection with five instances of sexual offences committed in the west of Edinburgh.

The incidents happened between 31 December 2020 and 20 February 2021 in the Viewforth, Union Canal, and Craiglockhart areas of the city.

The most recent incident took place on Saturday (20 February 2021), when a 14-year-old girl was the victim of a sexual assault as she walked in a wooded area in Craiglockhart.

A 62-year-old man has now been arrested and charged in connection with five incidents and is due to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Detective Inspector Keith Fairbairn from Edinburgh’s Public Protection Unit said: “We continue to conduct enquiries in relation to these offences and anyone who may have witnessed a crime, or not reported an incident to officers already, should come forward so we can thoroughly investigate.”

Anyone wishing to report a crime should contact officers via 101, or in an emergency and when a crime is in progress, always call 999. Alternatively a report can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Three arrested for drug offences

Three men were arrested in Edinburgh on Wednesday for drug related offences following proactive patrols in the city.

A 27-year-old man was found to be in possession of crack cocaine valued at £220 on Leith Street. He was arrested and charged with drug related offences and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

In an unrelated incident, a vehicle was stopped by officers on mobile patrol on Ferry Road on Wednesday evening.

A 22-year-old man was arrested and a 21-year-old man made off on foot and was arrested a short time later. Crack cocaine and cannabis with a collective value of £1,400 was recovered.

The 22-year-old man was charged with drug related offences and possession of an offensive weapon.

The 21-year-old man was charged with drug related offences, numerous road traffic offences, an obstruction offence and possession of an offensive weapon.

Both will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date for the offences committed on 17/02/21.

Pennywell Road delivery van theft: teenager arrested

A 17-year-old man has been charged with the theft of a delivery van on Pennywell Road yesterday (Thursday 11 February).

He was arrested after a pursuit and was also charged with driving offences and possession of weapons.

Enquiries are ongoing in relation to similar thefts in the city recently.

82 year old woman assault and robbery in Leith: man charged

UPDATE

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an assault and robbery in Leith.

The incident happened around 4.35pm on Mon, 8 Feb, 2021, on Hamburgh Place. A report will be submitted to the PF and the man is due to appear at Edinburgh SC today (Thursday 18 February).

See original report below:

Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault and robbery in Leith. The incident happened around 4.35pm yesterday (Monday 8 February) on Hamburgh Place and involved an 82-year-old woman.

She was hit to the head from behind and her handbag was grabbed by a man, before being pushed to the ground in a struggle and her bag taken. Hear assailant then ran off on foot down Portland Street.

The woman suffered serious injury and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment to a broken hip, where she remains in a stable condition.The suspect is described as being a white man around 16 to 30-years-old and of a slim build. At the time of the incident he was wearing dark clothing and a dark hoodie with the hood up.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait of Edinburgh CID: “This was a terrifying attack for the woman involved who has suffered serious injury and remains in hospital for treatment.

“Officers are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to help trace the person responsible for this and I would urge anyone with private or business systems in the area to please make this available to us.

“We are also appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and saw anything which might be helpful to our enquiries to come forward.

“Similarly, anyone who might have been driving in the area and recording via dash-cam, please let us know if you captured anything which might be relevant to our investigation.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 2375 of 8 February, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police: Be alert to COVID scams

People across Scotland are being reminded of the need to be vigilant to avoid becoming a victim of fraudulent messages claiming to be related to the COVID-19 vaccine programme.

Scams can be circulated via text messages, phone calls and emails, as well as in person through cold callers presenting at people’s homes. 

Chief Inspector Anton Stephenson, of Police Scotland’s Safer Communities Division, said: “We are asking the public to continue to be alert to potential scam messages connected with coronavirus vaccines. These include text messages, phone calls and emails. 

“Messages suggest people are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine and in some cases ask for payment. People should be aware that unsolicited emails, text messages and calls may not be from the person or organisation which they appear to be from.   

“The NHS, and indeed other government departments, will never ask for any form of payment for a vaccine or to confirm your identity. I would urge anyone who is concerned they may have provided personal or financial information via a link in a message of this sort to contact Police Scotland on 101.

“Similarly, if someone comes to your property claiming to be offering coronavirus vaccines for a fee, do not engage with them, close and secure your door, and call Police Scotland. 

“We are working closely with partners to deter this kind of scam and make Scotland a hostile environment for scammers. We will pursue anyone who sets out to cause this kind of harm and anxiety to our communities, especially linked to a national health when people are understandably anxious as the vaccine programme is rolled out across Scotland.  

“If you receive any communications relating to vaccines that you are in anyway concerned about please contact your GP who will be able to confirm your status regarding a vaccine and do not give out any personal details or payment information.”

Silverknowes fires: man charged

A 30-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of fire raising incidents in North Edinburgh.

He has been charged in connection with a number of fires in the Silverknowes area in the early hours of Wednesday, 27 January and he is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court later today (Thursday, 28 January).

Police appeal following deliberate fires in Silverknowes & D Mains

Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a series of fires in Silverknowes and Davidson’s Mains early this morning

A number of incidents were reported to Police Scotland in the area between 4.55am and 5.55am.

These included four vehicles on Silverknowes Eastway, Silverknowes Avenue and Cramond Road South as well as within a property of Main Street, Davidson’s Mains and a post box on Silverknowes Road.

Nobody was injured in any of the incidents. Each of the fires is being treated as deliberate and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.

Detective Sergeant Dougal Begg of Edinburgh CID said: “Our enquiries into this series of incidents are ongoing and we are working to establish the full circumstances.

“We would urge anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity to come forward as soon as possible.

“In particular we would be keen to speak to anyone with dashcam footage or private CCTV in the area.

“If you have any information which help our investigation please call 101, quoting incident 0341 of 27 January, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Police issue warning on catalytic converter thefts

The precious metals used in catalytic converters means they are an attractive target for thieves. Here are some tips to help prevent catalytic converter theft:

– Park your car in a locked garage where possible, or in a well-lit and well-populated area.

– Park close to fences, walls or a kerb with the exhaust being closest to the fence, wall or kerb to make the theft more difficult.

– Avoid parking your vehicle half on the pavement and half on the road.

– If parking in a public car park, consider parking alongside other cars and facing your bonnet towards the wall if possible.

– If there is a fleet of vehicles, park the low clearance vehicles to block the high clearance vehicles.

– If your catalytic converter is bolted on, you can ask for your local garage to weld the bolts to make it more difficult to remove.

– You can also etch a serial number on the converter.

– You can even purchase a ‘cage clamp’ or ‘cat guard’ which is a cage device that locks in around the converter.

– Speak to your dealership about the possibility of adding a tilt sensor that will activate the alarm.

– Ask your manufacturer or dealer if they can give you any other advice.

– If you see someone acting suspiciously under a vehicle, report it to the Police. Obtain as much information as possible, including any vehicle registrations.

For more information visit our website – http://ow.ly/cdAz50D6hjK

Visit the ‘Secured by Design’ website – http://ow.ly/lD6Z50D6hjJ

Remember: If you see anyone acting suspiciously near to your property or vehicles please contact the police immediately with as detailed a description as possible of any person(s) or vehicle(s) involved.

Please call ‘999’ if an emergency and urgent police assistance is required or 101 to report the matter to the police

More than 500 drink drug drive offences detected during annual festive campaign

Just over 500 motorists were reported for drink drug drive offences during the annual festive drink drug drive campaign.

During the festive drink and drug drive campaign, which ran between December 1st 2020 and January 3rd 2021, Police Scotland officers carried out 4013 roadside tests. Overall, 508 drivers were detected for drink/drug offences.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said “It is extremely disappointing to see that people are still willing to take the risk and drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

ACC Williams continued: “The current pandemic has seen a decrease in the number of vehicles on the road, however our campaign to improve road safety has been as important as ever and was focussed and intelligence led.

“Once again this year, a number of drivers were reported to us by colleagues, friends or family members and I wish to thank everyone who had the courage to report drink or drug drivers and I ask that you continue to report concerning driving behaviour to us. This information helps our officers to act quickly to stop drivers who are under the influence before they kill or seriously injure someone.

“We will continue to take action against those who selfishly put others at risk by driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “It is disappointing that some people are selfish and irresponsible by taking drugs or alcohol before getting behind the wheel of a car – putting themselves as well as other road users and officers at risk.

“I commend those who took steps to report individuals they suspected of drink or drug-driving to the police. It can be a difficult decision to make but it is the right decision and they can take comfort from knowing that they perhaps prevented somebody being seriously injured or killed in a collision.

“The laws are in place to keep everyone on Scotland’s roads safe and it is the responsibility of all individual motorists to adhere to them. Police officers will continue to tackle those they suspect to be committing driving offences.”


Breakdown of results:

· 4013 roadside screening tests for drink and drugs carried out during the campaign

· 437 roadside drug screening tests carried out

· 508 people detected for drink/drug offences

· Of the 508 detected, 28 drivers were caught the morning after drinking

West Pilton taxi theft: can you help trace driver’s attackers?

Police are continuing enquiries into a robbery which happened on Tuesday, 29 December, 2020, where a taxi driver was assaulted and his taxi stolen in West Pilton Grove.

The 39-year-old taxi driver was driving along West Pilton Grove around 2.40pm when he had to stop his car due to a number of youths throwing stones at it. On stopping and getting out of his car he was attacked by around six or seven youths and assaulted.

One of the youths then drove off in his taxi, a grey coloured Mercedes car which has the registration number WP14ZRY. As yet the car has not been recovered.

Two of youths involved are described as being:

(1) male, white, 16/17 years, 5’8” tall, medium build with light brown short hair. He was wearing a brown/yellow jacket and black tracksuit bottoms. He spoke with a local accent.

(2) Male, white, medium build, dark curly hair, wearing a black tracksuit.

The other youths are only described as being male, in the 16 to 17 years age range and were wearing dark coloured clothing.

As a result of the attack the victim received a number of bruises to his face and body.

Detective Constable Zaira Marker of Edinburgh Division’s CID said: “I would ask anyone who may have witnessed this robbery, or who may have any information which might assist us in this investigation to call us on the 101 number, giving the reference number 1841 of 29 December 2020.”