Officers investigating the violent incidents in the East and West of the country have made two further arrests, bringing the total to 44.
Following the recovery of a firearm in the Roseburn Path area of Edinburgh on Wednesday, 11 June, 2025, a 25-year-old man was subsequently arrested and charged in connection and was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, Friday, 13 June.
Officers also executed warrants this morning at addresses in South Queensferry and Edinburgh.
A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with fire-raising of a vehicle on Peacocktail Close in Edinburgh on Friday, 16 May. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 16 June.
A 21-year-old man has also been reported to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with wilful fire-raisings at two properties in Glasgow and one in Shotts in April.
A dedicated team of officers from our Specialist Crime Division, with support from local divisions across the country, continue to carry out extensive enquiries to gather vital evidence and reassure the public with intelligence-led patrols.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “Our continued activity and arrests show our commitment to targeting organised crime and bringing those responsible to justice.
“We continue to investigate and follow a number of positive lines of enquiry. The support and response from the public has been excellent, and I am grateful for the assistance given to us and that continued support from local communities is crucial as we progress our enquiries.
“If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
A Edinburgh law firm has raised an impressive £10,800 by participating in an annual charity Will-writing campaign – making it the second highest donating firms across Scotland this year.
McEwan Fraser Legal has taken part in the Will Aid campaign since 2019, raising a grand total of £23,555, by volunteering their time and expertise to write Wills and, instead of charging their usual fees for writing basic Wills, inviting clients to make a donation to Will Aid.
The funds raised go to Will Aid’s partner charities, which support a range of important causes, from providing humanitarian aid to protecting vulnerable children here in the UK.
Ken McEwan from the firm, said: “Taking part in Will Aid is something we look forward to each year. It’s a fantastic opportunity to give back -not only by helping people secure their future with a professionally written Will but also by raising funds for charities that make a real impact.
“Our team is incredibly passionate about supporting charities, and knowing our efforts are helping both our community and those further afield is truly rewarding. We are delighted to have played our part in this year’s campaign and to have raised such a significant amount.”
Since its launch in 1988, Will Aid has raised more than £24 million in donations, with millions more pledged in charitable legacies, thanks to the generosity of participating solicitors.
Lauren Poole, chair of Will Aid, said: “A huge well done to McEwan Fraser Legal for their incredible fundraising efforts this year.
“It’s inspiring to see so many legal professionals come together to make a difference – helping people gain peace of mind with a professionally written Will while supporting charities that change lives.
“We’re grateful to every solicitor who gives their time to this campaign, and on behalf of our partner charities, I’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to McEwan Fraser Legal and all the firms who participated this year.”
Peter de Vena Franks, Will Aid’s campaign director, added: “This year’s Will Aid campaign has been another resounding success, thanks to the dedication of firms like McEwan Fraser Legal.
“Their generosity and commitment mean that more people can get the will they need while also supporting crucial charitable work. It’s wonderful to see such enthusiasm for giving back.”
Will Aid takes place every November and involves solicitors waiving the fee for writing a basic will and instead inviting clients to make an upfront donation to Will Aid.
The suggested donation for a basic single Will is £100, and £180 for a pair of mirror Wills.
Donations are shared between Will Aid’s partner charities: Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF and Trócaire.
To meet growing demand, Will Aid is always looking for more solicitors to take part. For more information, visit www.willaid.org.uk.
Poppyscotland, working in partnership with Legion Scotland, are calling for volunteers to help man collection stations on the upcoming Armed Forces Day in Edinburgh.
Taking place on Saturday, June 28, volunteers are needed to help at Waverley or Haymarket train stations during timed slots over the course of that weekend (28th and 29th).
Armed Forces Day is a chance to show your support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving personnel to Service families, veterans and cadets.
There are many ways for people, communities and organisations across the country to show their support, including making a donation to Poppyscotland to allow us to continue the valuable work we do in helping countless men, women and families with issues linked to their time in the Armed Forces or with struggles adjusting from military to civilian life.
We even help with needs that have arisen long after someone has left the Armed Forces. Whenever, wherever support is needed, we are here.
If you would be interested in volunteering on Saturday, June 28 at Haymarket train station then please sign up now at https://www.poppyscotland.org.uk/AFDHaymarket
or
to volunteer on either Saturday, June 28 or Sunday, June 29, at Edinburgh Waverley station, please sign up at www.poppyscotland.org.uk/AFDWaverley.
For more information on Poppyscotland and how we can help, please visit, www.poppyscotland.org.uk
A FLOOD ALERT has been issued for Edinburgh and Lothians
From the early hours of Saturday morning rain is expected to spread northwards to affect this area. The rain may persist through most of Saturday and at times there could be some intense, heavy, thundery rain.
If the rain falls on the transport network or built-up areas, there is potential for some disruptive surface water flooding impacts, including: flooding to low-lying land and roads, disruption to travel and flooding of properties.
Small rivers may also respond and could cause similar impacts. SEPA will continue to monitor the situation and further updates will appear here if the situation changes.
Remain vigilant and remember, it is your responsibility to take actions which help protect yourself and your property. Advice and information is available on our website or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
This FLOOD ALERT is now in force until further notice and was sent by email, SMS and/or phone, free of charge to registered Floodline customers.
If you wish to register, view or amend any of your account details, or deregister, please visit myfloodline.sepa.scot or call Floodline, select option 2 for Scotland then option 3 to speak to an advisor.
Reducing diagnoses to address antibiotics resistance
Thousands of cases of the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea could be prevented through a new vaccine programme.
The Scottish Government is funding the programme, which will begin in August, to address increasing health inequalities and growing resistance to antibiotics treatment.
Those eligible include gay and bisexual men at highest risk of infection, those involved in selling or exchanging sex regardless of gender and those who sexual health clinic professionals assess as being at a similar risk level.
Gonorrhoea can cause significant pain and discomfort and in rare cases, life-threatening sepsis. The number of cases has been rising steadily in recent years and it is the second most common bacterial STI in Scotland. Latest figures show there were 5,999 diagnoses in 2023, a 59% increase on pre-pandemic.
Speaking at the Public Health Scotland Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Conference in Edinburgh, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “This action is urgent and timely since the number of diagnoses has been high and the disease is becoming increasingly difficult to treat with antibiotics.
“The science tells us that this vaccine will potentially protect thousands of people and prevent the spread of infection.
“Anything which stops people from contracting gonorrhoea in the first place can have huge benefits, including ensuring our health system remains resilient by reducing the amount of treatment needed.”
Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, Head of the Vaccination and Immunisation Division at PHS, said: “With gonorrhoea diagnoses having increased in recent years, the offer of the 4CmenB vaccine to those at highest risk of exposure is a welcome new intervention. This vaccination programme is expected to help control and prevent the spread of gonorrhoea.
“Public Health Scotland is working with the Scottish Government and colleagues across NHS Boards to finalise plans for the roll out of this targeted vaccination offering to those at increased risk of gonorrhoea from August 2025.”
Police are appealing for the help of the public to trace a 29-year-old woman reported missing from Dalkeith.
Toni McNelis was last seen in the early hours of Thursday, 5 June in the Niddrie area.
She is described as being around 5ft 4in tall, of slim build, with short blonde hair. When last seen, she was wearing dark blue leggings, white trainers, a white flowery tank top and a white/cream cardigan.
Constable Lourens said: “We are concerned for Toni’s welfare and are asking anyone who knows where she might be to come forward.
“Her family and friends are extremely worried and just want to know she is safe and well.
“I would also appeal directly to Toni – if you see this, please get in touch.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2078 of 6 June.
From 27 June, Edinburgh’s landmark cinema Filmhouse will re-open its doors with a hand-picked programme of the very best films the cinema missed out on playing during the venue’s two-and-a-half-year closure.
The programme will have a strong emphasis on films that did not screen in the city because of its absence. Tickets are on sale now via the Filmhouse website.
Filmhouse has long been celebrated as a cultural cornerstone, showcasing world cinema in all its brilliance and diversity, from crowd-pleasing favourites and to avant-garde arthouse works, restored classics, and curated retrospectives.
The first film to welcome audiences back to the venue will be the much-loved film gem and ode to the beauty of the cinemagoing experience, Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso (1988).
On opening weekend, audiences can also enjoy Martyn Robertson’s acclaimed new film Make It To Munich, an inspiring documentary which follows 18-year-old Ethan Walker, who just months after nearly losing his life in an accident, embarks on a 1200km cycle ride to Munich for Scotland’s Euros opening game against Germany.
Ethan himself will attend a special Q&A screening on Filmhouse’s opening day, alongside the film’s director Martyn Robertson and former Motherwell, Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger Pat Nevin.
Edinburgh based filmmaker Matt Palmer will present a free double-bill of his gutsy thriller Calibre (2018) starring Jack Lowden and Tony Curran alongside his hit horror Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) which debuted at No.1 on Netflix on its release earlier in the year and will have its first ever public cinema screening at Filmhouse. Matt will also take part in a Q&A after the screening.
Lotte Reiniger’s classic feature length paper cut animation The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)will screen in a special event soundtracked with live music by Edinburgh based musical improvisers and innovators S!nk in a transportive performance filled with swirling, spiralling strings, saxophones, accordion, percussion and voices.
Also screening at the cinema are a selection of recent acclaimed films from around the world from new and established filmmakers including Payal Kapadia’s soulful All We Imagine As Light, Sébastien Marnier’s thrilling Origin of Evil, Christian Petzold’s riveting Afire, Gints Zilbalodis’s enchanting animation Flow, Hlynur Pálmason’s nuanced drama Godland, Alice Rohrwacher’s radically adventurous film La Chimera, Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha’s joyous My Favourite Cake, Mario Martone’s brilliantly shot Nostalgia, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s tense thriller The Beasts, Ilker Çatak’s uncompromising TheTeachers’ Lounge, Alexandre de La Patellière & Matthieu Delaporte energetic take on Count of Monte Cristo, Manuela Martelli’s compelling noir 1976, Víctor Erice’s mysterious Close Your Eyes, Robert Zemeckis’s Here and Celine Song’s acclaimed Past Lives.
70mm engagements at the cinema will include Brady Corbet’s award-winning The Brutalistand Christopher Nolan’s epic Oppenheimer alongsideRobert Egger’sNosferatuon 35mm.
More upcoming screenings will be announced via Filmhouse socials soon.
Alongside this, the cinema will also screen events such as National Theatre Live for the first time, with more details to be confirmed in the coming months. Details of Filmhouse’s involvement with this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival are yet to be announced .
With, ultimately, a total capacity of 340 seats, Filmhouse is set to once again become a hub for film enthusiasts, offering a cutting-edge cinematic experience, a vibrant social space, and a platform for film lovers and filmmakers to engage with the very best in global cinema.
Previously a three-screen venue, the new Filmhouse will become a four-screen cinema and soon will be unveiling a fourth screen with a capacity of 24, allowing for an even more expansive programme, as well as being available for private screenings and hires.
Filmhouse’s technical capabilities include 70mm, 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, and digital projection. The cinema also includes a Clipster Unit for creating Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) required for festival and theatrical distribution.
Comfort has been prioritised across the new Filmhouse. Film-lovers can expect extra legroom and comfortable seats across the cinema’s screens, alongside a completely reworked foyer space.
Built in a repurposed church on Edinburgh’s Lothian Road, Filmhouse has been a cinematic landmark since 1978. Following a £2 million refurbishment, Scotland’s leading independent cinema Filmhouse returns with new leadership, a vision which builds on the venue’s legacy as a space for learning and discovery, and a commitment to building a sustainable future for this iconic cultural landmark.
The completely refurbished Filmhouse Bar will be able to seat 100 people for lunch and dinner, with drinks available throughout the day, catering for the many communities who enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, and placing an emphasis on produce from Edinburgh and Scotland, offering great food and drink alongside environmental sustainability. Filmhouse fans will be pleased to know that the cinema’s world-famous nachos are staying put too.
The cinema will announce new membership offers and multiple-tier ticket pricing over the next few weeks.
Following its closure in October 2022, the reopening of Filmhouse marks the culmination of a three-year long campaign to save the historic cinema backed by film lovers in Edinburgh, Scotland, and around the world and by A-list film talent including patrons Jack Lowden and Charlotte Wells, as well as Dougray Scott, Brian Cox, and Emma Thompson.
The stage is set, the screens are ready, and the story of Filmhouse continues.
Rod White, Programming Director of Filmhouse, said: “Looking into the films that simply didn’t make it on to Edinburgh cinema screens at all during Filmhouse’s closure only hammered home the need for it in this great City of Culture.
“It’s been tough – whilst Filmhouse was closed – to watch some brilliant films come and go from cinemas without being able to offer a venue to watch them in. The good news is, Filmhouse has never been a better place to watch a film (and talk about it afterward!) than it is today and we simply cannot wait to welcome everyone back, or, for the first time! ”
Greenlight – ECCAN’s Seedgrant Funding Opens June 16th!
We are excited to announce that this year we will be sharing £115K for climate action projects delivered by community groups within the city of Edinburgh. We will also accept applications from individuals on behalf of informal groups.
Organisations and groups can apply for grants in the following categories:
Grants of up to £20,000 each (large grants for co-designed projects with partner working) – nominally two awards.
Grants of up to £10,000 each (large grants – can be co-designed) – nominally two awards.
Grants of up to £5,000 each (medium grants) – nominally 4 awards.
Grants up to a value of £1,000 each.
Small grants of up to £500. For individuals or informal groups the limit is £350.
You need to be an ECCAN member to apply (membership is free).
For more information, check our website on the day:
Quotes from three of Scotland’s most well-known poets have been unveiled on the Scottish Parliament’s Canongate Wall on the Royal Mile.
Earlier this year, over 5,000 public votes were cast from people all over Scotland who chose which works by previous Scots Makars Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie should feature.
The winning quotations were sent to Perthshire-based stone carver Gillian Forbes, assisted by apprentice Cameron Wallace, who carried out the letter-cutting process for the new quotes as well as many of the original ones already featured.
In total 29 quotations now feature on the Canongate Wall from Scottish writers and thinkers as well as popular proverbs and poems which are letter-cut into stones sourced from across Scotland. The Wall was designed by artist Soraya Smithson which pays tribute to the design ideas of Holyrood lead architect Enric Miralles.
The winning quotations are:
Liz Lochhead
this our one small country… our one, wondrous, spinning, dear green place. What shall we build of it, together in this our one small time and space?
– from Grace, A Handsel, New & Collected Poems, 2012
Stone cut into Achnaba Schist from Lochgilphead.
Jackie Kay
Where do you come from? ‘Here,’ I said, ‘Here. These parts.’
– from In my country, Darling: New & Selected Poems, 2007
Stone cut into Ailsa Craig Granite from Ayrshire.
Kathleen Jamie
Be brave: by the weird-song in the dark you’ll find your way.
– from The Storm, The Bonniest Companie, 2015
Stone cut into Dalbeattie Granite from Dumfriesshire.
Presiding Officer Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP said: “Adding new quotations onto one of Scotland’s most prominent public sculptures is a celebration of the talent and skill of women who are performing at the very top of their professions.
“The inspirational words of our three poets – Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie – combine with the skill of stone carver Gillian Forbes, making these quotes something of real beauty using stone from across Scotland.
“This is only possible thanks to the original vision of Enric Miralles and artist Soraya Smithson, who designed the wall as a permanent reminder of our rich cultural heritage.
“I’m proud to unveil these new quotes, which ensure that this piece of living public sculpture reflects the writing talent we have in Scotland today.”
Liz Lochhead, Makar from 2011 to 2016, said: “It’s a big part of my life, being a Scot, being somebody who has a parliament, and getting some of my words on the walls here, it’s fantastic.”
Jackie Kay, Makar from 2016 to 2021, said: “It’s a huge honour and so extraordinary to be carved into stone.
“It’s so strange to think of your words surviving you – but in a sense, that’s every writer’s dream.”
Kathleen Jamie, Makar from 2021 to 2024, said: “Poetry is very democratic. It’s available to anybody – through libraries, through memory.
Councillor Mandy Watt, Depute Leader and Finance and Resources Convener, writes:
As Edinburgh continues to grow, one of the most pressing issues we face is the shortage of affordable housing.
We’ve seen demand for homes increase year after year, but at the same time housing costs keep rising. The city’s supply of social housing and the grant funding we receive from the Scottish Government to build new homes just hasn’t kept pace with demand.
We’re working to tackle this housing emergency by both building homes and buying them. With around 5,500 households in temporary accommodation every night because of homelessness, we’ve set a target to significantly improve housing and to source homes quickly, within the means that we have.
Edinburgh continues to be the lowest funded local authority in Scotland per head of population, and currently has fewer council-owned homes, so we need to do things differently from other councils.
In the same way that homebuyers need a mortgage, borrowing has become a vital and standard part of our financial planning when we buy or build homes. It’s the most straightforward way to overcome the shortfall in our grant funding.
At the same time, we’re also continuing to make considerable investment in net zero energy improvements to existing council homes and retrofitting buildings because we need them to be more sustainable and in good condition. This too is supported by capital borrowing.
While our debt levels remain prudent, and in line with our income and spend, our financial planning in this area is enabling us to fund the regeneration the city needs. We’re using this approach to build and extend schools for the next generation, restore important structures like the North Bridge and create new communities, like the Granton Waterfront.
We’ve also taken a big step this week towards finding a solution for the existing community on Dreghorn Estate, and it’s an excellent example of the power of well-managed borrowing.
At a special meeting of our Finance and Resources Committee on Monday, we agreed in principle to purchase 38 homes from the Ministry of Defence for £6.65 million, using a mix of funding from the Scottish Government housing grant together with long-term loans. Rental income, over the life of the properties, will cover the borrowing costs.
If agreed at Full Council, this purchase will secure the futures of families already living on the estate, and it will also provide us with an already thriving community for other council tenants to move into.
This is a huge step towards a positive outcome – a fantastic example of doing things differently to make sure we address our housing emergency – and I know residents are very grateful that this proposal has had so much support from councillors.
This article first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News on 11 June 2025
