Day: August 30, 2021

Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee begins work with visits to Courts and HMP Edinburgh

While the new session of the Scottish Parliament gets underway this week, MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee have been quick off the mark. Last Thursday members visited the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) and HMP Edinburgh.

The Committee heard how Scottish courts have adapted to COVID and how they see the recovery progressing, including plans to clear the backlog of almost 50,000 trials.

The SCTS visit included a demonstration of courtroom facilities and links to remote jury centres, and meetings with the Lord President, Rt Hon Lord Carloway, Scotland’s most senior judge, and SCTS Chief Executive, Eric McQueen.

At HMP Edinburgh, MSPs focused on:
• facilities offered to prisoners, including those with more complex health or disability issues,
• new arrivals to prison,
• dealing with serious organised crime groups and violence in prisons, and
• parole, education, rehabilitation and ‘Throughcare’ for those leaving prison.

Criminal Justice Committee Convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP, said: “The new Criminal Justice Committee is currently on a mission to listen and learn about the priorities of those working in the justice sector.

“Courts and prisons are a cornerstone of justice in Scotland, and I know Members will appreciate the views of everyone we meet today – from the prisoners in HMP Edinburgh to the Lord President, our most senior judge.

“We will use September to hear from others with frontline experience and expertise. This knowledge will shape where we focus our attention in the months ahead.”

The Committee has agreed that its first meetings will hear from a wide range of Criminal Justice sector stakeholders, as well as hearing what the Scottish Government’s priorities are in this area.

This is expected to include updates around the role of the Lord Advocate within the prosecution system and government, the future of Scotland’s three-verdict system and the wider sector’s recovery from COVID-19.

Details of initial September work programme:

• Morning of Wednesday 1 September – evidence session with Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Minister for Community Safety on the Scottish Government’s justice and policing priorities for session 6,
• Morning of Wednesday 8 September – roundtable with a range of witnesses on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the justice sector,
• Morning of Wednesday 15 September – two roundtables:
1) Priorities for prisons and prison policy in session 6, and
2) Priorities for youth offending, community justice and alternatives to prisons in session 6,
• Morning of Wednesday 22nd September – two roundtables:
1) Priorities for domestic abuse, gendered-violence and sexual offences in session 6, and
2) Victim support and victims’ rights,
• Morning of Wednesday 29 September – roundtable on reform of legal aid.

Subject to agreement, a further roundtable on the misuse of drugs is also planned.

Aldi donates over 22,000 meals to Edinburgh and Lothian charities over the school summer holidays

ALDI – GLASCOTE TAMWORTH FOOD DONATION – TAMWORTH HEART CHARITY Pictures by Adam Fradgley Pictured: Lisa Richards (Aldi) and Simon Peaple (Tamworth Heart) with the trolley of donated items at the Tamworth store

Local charities across Edinburgh and the Lothians helped Aldi donate 22,752 meals to people in need over the summer school holidays.

The supermarket paired up its stores with local charities, community groups and foodbanks to donate surplus food, with the majority of meals going to causes supporting families and children.

The donation is part of Aldi’s commitment to donate 10 million meals across the country in 2021, in partnership with community giving platform Neighbourly.

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “We were proud to support so many incredible causes across Edinburgh and the Lothians this summer, helping them to donate meals to those in need.

“The school holidays can be a hard time for families, particularly when many are experiencing heightened financial hardship due to the pandemic, and this is why we committed to donating more meals than ever before.”

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “The summer school holidays are always one of the busiest times for the nation’s charities and food banks, but this year things were even busier. Aldi’s donations have never been more of a vital support to these organisations.”

Aldi stores across the country work with Neighbourly to partner with local charities, who can collect surplus food and perishable products, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to seven days a week.

Police appeal following armed robbery in Inverleith

Police are appealing for information following a robbery in Inverleith on Friday (27 August).​

At around 7.45pm a man entered a tanning salon on Summer Place and threatened the staff member with a knife before making off with a three figure sum of cash.​ The staff member was uninjured but left shaken as a result of the incident.​

The male suspect is described as being around 5ft 10in in height and thought to be in his early 20s. He was wearing a black beanie hat, a face mask with a pattern, a two toned grey hooded zipper and black joggers. He was riding a full suspension mountain bike.​

Detective Constable Zaira Marker of Corstorphine CID said: “We are appealing to anyone who was in the Summer Place area around that time who witnessed anything to please come forward.​

“We would also appeal to any drivers who were in the area at the tie and who may have dash cam to review the footage and get in touch if you believe it may be able to assist us.”

​Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 3607 of 27 August. Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.

UK Government launches Operation Warm Welcome

Work is underway across the whole of Government to ensure the Afghans who stood side by side with us in conflict, their families and those at highest risk who have been evacuated, are supported as they now rebuild their lives in the UK.

The plans, dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, will be overseen by Victoria Atkins (pictured below) as the new Minister for Afghan Resettlement.

The support provided will be similar to the commitments in the Syrian Resettlement Programme and ensure that those who worked closely with the British military and UK Government in Afghanistan, and risked their lives in doing so, get the vital health, education, support into employment and accommodation they need to fully integrate into society.

The UK has a proud history of providing safe haven to those in need and the plans to be set out next week will also harness that generosity of spirit and the offers of support which have already flooded in from charities, businesses and the British public.

This includes the creation of a central portal where people, organisations and businesses can register their offer of support, be it volunteering, a job opportunity, professional skills to help with integration and deal with trauma or donations of items like clothes and toys. Free English language courses will also be provided in recognition that many of the dependents of former staff and Afghan translators may need this.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “For those who have left their homes with no more than a small bag of belongings, and in fear for their lives, coming to the UK will no doubt have been a daunting experience, but also one of hope for the future.

“I am determined that we welcome them with open arms and that my Government puts in place the support they need to rebuild their lives.

“We will never forget the brave sacrifice made by Afghans who chose to work with us, at great risk to themselves. We owe them, and their families, a huge debt.”

Full details will be set out this week and build on the commitments already made.

These include £5 million for local councils to provide housing support, an offer of a vaccine for everyone on arrival and access to rapid mental well-being and trauma support.

That’s more than THREE TIMES the population of Scotland

Joint International Statement on Afghanistan safe passage

We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan.

We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country.

We will continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans, and we have the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries. We note the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding.

The statement was released initially by the governments of the United States of America, Albania, Australia, Belgium, Belize, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Canada, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea, Republic of Kosovo, Romania, Rwanda, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland , The Bahamas, The Gambia, The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Union of the Comoros, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Yemen, and Zambia.