POLICE are investigating an attempted murder in Edinburgh are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.
Around 1.50am yesterday (Monday, 16 March 2026), police received a report a man had been stabbed in the Sighthill area.
Emergency services attended and the 20-year-old victim was taken to hospital.
Officers have been carrying out door-to-door enquiries in the area and are checking for any relevant CCTV images.
Detective Sergeant Keith Morrison said: “I am appealing for anyone who was in and around the Sighthill View, Sighthill Crescent areas between the hours of 1am and 2am on Monday morning.
“If you saw or heard anything, please get in touch. A young man has been stabbed and seriously injured and it’s imperative we trace whoever is responsible.
“I would also ask anyone with dash cam or doorbell recording equipment to check if they have any footage which could assist our inquiry.
“We are still establishing the full circumstances of this crime so please do not think we have all the information we need, any small detail could prove significant. Please pass it on.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 0198 of Monday, 16 March, 2026. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where you can give the information anonymously.
Voters are looking to the next Scottish Government to go further and faster to guarantee the future of NHS dentistry
New polling from YouGov shows:
Taking into account all the different priorities facing the country, 65% of Scots say the Scottish Government should be doing more on dentistry. Only 20% believe they are doing all they reasonably can.
Dentistry is now a major doorstep issue in Scotland, with 15% ranking it as the most important issue in their local area, on a par with crime (16%)
Estimated unmet need for NHS dentistry stands at nearly 1/5 of Scotland’s adult population, with 12% saying they were unable to secure an appointment in the last 2 years, and a further 7% having effectively given up trying, assuming they would be unable to get one.
The BDA has published its own manifesto stressing a new administration must act to ‘future proof’ the service. While the current Scottish Government took forward payment reform of NHS dentistry in 2023, the professional body say this cannot be viewed as ‘mission accomplished’.
It stresses that concerted action is required to improve access and reduce inequalities that are already widening [2] and create the dental workforce Scotland needs via a fully funded workforce plan.
The BDA is encouraging parties to double down on prevention, expand the pioneering Childsmile programme, and adopt policies to encourage families to make healthier choices. It says practices need to be protected from surging costs, including rises in National Insurance from the UK Government which have already been mitigated in Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland.
Albert Yeung, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council, said:“If we want NHS dentistry in Scotland to remain a going concern in the 21st century, it will require a sustained plan of action.
“It means closing an oral health gap between rich and poor that’s already widening. To call time on postcode lotteries of care that remain the norm.
“It requires the next government to ensure we have the dental team members we need on the frontline.
“And it means doubling down on prevention. This country can’t rest on its laurels when decay remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children.
“The public are clear the next Scottish Government needs to go further, and faster. We must future-proof dentistry in Scotland, because failure to do so will come at a steep financial, human and ultimately a political cost.
“This is already an issue on the doorstep. It will remain one until voters see real change.”
We are very excited about our next Litter Picking event this Saturday (21/03). This time we will be focusing on Granton Crescent Park, across the road from the Salvation Army.
Huge THANK YOU to R2 for their support with the litter picking equipment.
Tea/coffee and snacks provided.
It is a family friendly event so we would welcome young litter pickers as well as well behaved dogs
Did you ever attend the Old RWCC, whether in a youth group, an event, social night out or play a sport with the centre. Can you help us identify the individuals in the photographs.
Do you recognise yourself? Who are they/you? Where are they you? What are your memories of old RWCC?
If you attended the centre at any time in your life, then please come along on Saturday, 28th March, 10am – 2pm grab a cuppa, browse the many photos & share your stories with us
Additional support for people caring for more than one person
Financial support for unpaid carers in Scotland is being strengthened in recognition of their vital role.
From yesterday (Monday 16 March) carers who look after more than one person for at least 20 hours a week will be able to claim the new Carer Additional Person Payment, worth over £500 a year for each additional cared-for person.
The new payment is part of a package of measures to improve carer support, with carers in Scotland now better off than anywhere else in the UK.
Other improvements include extending Carer Support Payment following the death of the cared-for person from 8 to 12 weeks and replacing Carer’s Allowance Supplement with Scottish Carer Supplement which will be paid alongside Carer Support Payment rather than in two annual payments as it is currently – meaning carers receive extra support more consistently and regularly.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Making sure unpaid carers are recognised for their important role has been paramount for me in my time as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, so I’m incredibly proud that the latest improvements to support are now in place.
“Unpaid carers are the backbone of our communities, providing vital care and support for those closest to them. Carer Additional Person Payment will go further in recognising the impact caring for multiple people can have on a carer and this will make a difference to thousands of families.
“Social security is a human right and something that anyone may need at any point in their life. I would encourage any carers who might be eligible to get in touch with Social Security Scotland to find out more about the support available to them.”
This is the latest in a series of improvements to support for carers which are unique to Scotland, and includes the extension of Young Carer Grant to 19-year-olds and the extension of Carer Support Payment to more people in education.
Dawn Williamson, from Penicuik in Midlothian, cares for her 12-year-old daughter, who has autism, as well as her elderly parents and uncle.
She welcomed the news of increased financial support for carers with multiple caring responsibilities from Social Security Scotland.
Ms Williamson said: “It’s amazing that there is this acknowledgement for people who do look after more than one disabled person. It’s improving things for every carer out there who manages care for multiple people.
“When it comes to applying for support, I always say, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. It makes a real difference. Getting Carer Support Payment – it felt like I was getting recognition for the job that I had to do, looking after my daughter. If it wasn’t there, I don’t know how we would have got by.”
An official Notice of Election was published yesterday (March 16), marking the start of the formal process of the Scottish Parliament election, which will take place on May 7.
Nominations open today (March 17) for candidates wanting to stand in this election. Nomination papers, which are available on the Council website, must be submitted by 4pm on Wednesday April 1.
People aged 16 and over can vote in this election. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 20 April, to apply for a postal vote it’s 5pm on Tuesday 21 April, and for a proxy vote it’s 5pm on Tuesday 28 April.
The Edinburgh count will return 13 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Six are constituency MSPs and seven are from the regional list for Edinburgh and Lothians East.
Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said:“I would urge everyone to make sure they are registered to vote in this election. If you’ll be on holiday, busy on polling day or would simply prefer to get it done in advance, you have until 21 April to apply for a postal vote. You could also appoint someone you trust – a proxy – to cast your vote for you.
“This election will chart the course of the country’s future and it’s vital that you make your voice heard.
“Here in Edinburgh our teams are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that everything runs smoothly.”
The NSPCC is urging tech companies to embed technology on children’s phones that blocks nude images from being created, shared or viewed – and for the UK Government to take further action if they fail to.
This comes as the charity reveals child sexual abuse image crimes logged by Police Scotland reached record levels last year, with more than 828 offences in 2024/25 -11% higher than the previous year.
Data obtained by the NSPCC from police forces across the UK, revealed that between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 there were 36,829 recorded offences of indecent and prohibited images of children across the UK.
Across the 42 forces that provided data for both years, the number of offences increased by 9%.
Moreover, of the 10,811 crimes where law enforcement1 recorded the platform used by perpetrators, 43% took place on Snapchat alone – a total of 4,615.
Overall, Meta platforms still accounted for almost a quarter of all offences (24%), with 8% on Instagram, 7% on WhatsApp, 5% on Facebook and 4% on Messenger. However, the figures in relation to these platforms only paint part of the picture, as end-to-end-encryption (E2EE) means the scale of abuse children are experiencing online is hidden – preventing detection and leading to under-reporting on these platforms.
Without adequate safety features designed to keep children safe online across all platforms, many young people are exposed to the risk of grooming, extortion, online child sexual abuse and having intimate images shared – all of which can have a devastating impact on a child’s life, sometimes well into adulthood.
One 17-year-old boy who contacted Childline* said, “I shared a nude online and it was leaked, so everyone at school saw it. I was in a really bad way, so I moved schools. The nude pictures still come up as random people message me and blackmail me with them. I’m worried about my new friends seeing them and how the leaked nudes will impact my career in the future.”
The UK Government committed in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy to work with tech companies to stop children in the UK from taking or sharing nude images. This new data makes it clear that tech companies are failing to prioritise young people’s safety across their platforms.
The NSPCC believes that tech companies must act now and embed effective protections for children. They argue that using existing technologies on children’s phones that blocks illegal images in real time would help prevent these crimes from happening in the first place.
If companies do not act, the UK Government must make these safeguards mandatory to ensure every child is protected from this abuse online.
This is one of the three recommendations the charity has pushed the Government to implement to make children safe – to go further in protecting children online than a social media ban alone.
Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said: “Children across the UK are being completely failed by tech companies that should be protecting them online. We cannot keep letting them off the hook when they can do more to prevent this from happening in the first place.
“Behind every one of these offences is a child who has been groomed, abused and manipulated. They are left to carry the trauma, whilst tech companies continue to profit handsomely.
“Technology already exists that could be deployed today to stop children from taking, sharing or receiving nude images. So, the real question is: what’s stopping them? If they continue to drag their feet, Government must show their might by stepping in and compelling them to act”.
Young people looking for support on any of the issues mentioned, can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk. Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday.
Report Remove is available in the UK to anyone under 18 to confidentially report and remove sexual images or videos of themselves from the internet.
This initiative, a collaboration between Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), offers a secure and anonymous way for young people to take control of their online presence and safety.
Scotland has lost 350 pubs and bars since 2016 and 650 since 2010 “Unwanted shops” filling the void with nearly 1,900 more barbers, nail salons and other beauty outlets appearing since 2010 New inquiry launched into “repairing Britain’s broken high streets”
For every extra local tobacco and vape shop since 2016, ten pubs have disappeared, new research shows.
The last decade saw Scotland lose 350 pubs and bars, while the number of vape and tobacco shop rose by 35 to 210 in total, according to analysis of official figures by cross-party think tank the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).
Analysis of business counts of registered businesses in Scotland showed a 10 per cent rise in the number of barbers, nail salons and other beauty outlets appearing since 2016 – rising to 85 per cent when compared to 2010.
Launching a new Broken High Streets inquiry, the CSJ warns that valued community assets like pubs are being replaced by a wave of “dodgy shops” that do not reflect real consumer demand.
Polling conducted by Ipsos found that almost seven in ten people (68 per cent) say there are too many vape shops on the high street, while 58 per cent say there are too many barber shops, and 50 per cent say there are too many nail bars.
Given the existence of three million estimated unregistered businesses, the true rise of “dodgy shops” is likely to be even higher than the official count. The Local Data Company, which carries out detailed surveys of all retail areas, found 3,573 specialist vape shops in the UK in 2023, 1,393 more than official estimates across the UK as a whole.
Publicans and shopkeepers are under renewed pressure from rate increases, years of high inflation, duty, and VAT. At the same time, legitimate businesses risk being pushed off the high street by businesses operating as fronts for money laundering, illegal working and organised crime.
One recent investigation found that 3,624 shops had illegal goods seized from them in 2024-25, with HMRC and Border Force seizing 1.2 billion illegal cigarettes in the same period.
In October last year, the National Crime Agency destroyed over £2.7 million of criminal tobacco, vapes and drugs being sold off the high street.
The illicit tobacco trade is estimated to cost taxpayers £1.8 billion, nine times the amount the UK government has invested in neighbourhood policing, worth the equivalent of recruiting over 26,000 new police officers to make our high streets safer.
Connor Naismith MP, Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: “Dodgy vape shops, mini-marts and fake barbers are a front for exploitation and organised crime, pushing people out of our high streets and making a mockery of the law.
“Stronger powers for trading standards to shut down these criminal enterprises are urgently needed and are vital for any successful policy aimed at renewing our high streets and town centres.”
Naismith made his remarks as the CSJ launches a call for evidence to “repair Britain’s broken high streets”, warning that social breakdown across town and city centres is undermining the pillars of community life.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2033536529742627001
The think tank has also created an interactive tool called Oi! Mind Your Buainess! which lets people see which shops and businesses are thriving or declining in their community.
The CSJ warn that a toxic cocktail of organised crime, illegal trading, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour are compounding long-term economic challenges facing high-streets, and that local authorities are woefully underequipped to tackle the breakdown in law and order.
— The Centre for Social Justice (@csjthinktank) March 15, 2026
Josh Nicholson, Head of Housing and Communities at the Centre for Social Justice, said: “Scotland’s high streets are changing and not for the better.
“The explosion of ‘dodgy shops’, shoplifting, and anti-social behaviour across town and city centres points to a breakdown in community life that must urgently be addressed.
“With national elections later this year, it is critical that political parties have a plan to clean up the social breakdown wrecking Scottish communities.”
Please respond to the CSJ’s call for evidence here.
Supporting families at risk of poverty and improving outcomes for children are at the heart of a funding package totalling more than £7.5 million.
The Scottish Government investment spans three key programmes, each designed to address the root causes of child poverty and give families the tools they need to thrive.
The funding for 2026-27 is:
£2.2 million for the Whole Family Support through General Practice (WFSGP), doubling its reach to more families across the most deprived parts of Glasgow. The programme supports families to increase wellbeing, and build financial resilience
£4.2 million to strengthen NHS Scotland’s employability opportunities and deliver 200 placements for job seeking parents, helping them develop the skills and confidence needed to enter or return to the workforce
an additional £1.1 million for the Family Nurse Partnership, enabling the programme to reach up to 500 additional parents. It supports young first-time parents often facing challenging circumstances to connect with community resources and to improve their financial situations.
We are committed to eradicating child poverty in Scotland.
Our new Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan builds on progress and sets out a broad range of actions to help parents.
The package forms part of the Scottish Government’s new Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2026-31 which aims to support parents to increase their incomes and reduce the burden of everyday costs, on top of existing work, helping to keep an estimated 100,000 children out of relative poverty in 2026-27.
This builds on existing Scottish Government action which has already reduced relative child poverty rates in Scotland to the lowest levels in almost a decade – with rates nine percentage points lower than the UK in 2023-24.
We want to ensure that no child in Scotland grows up in poverty.
Watch First Minister @JohnSwinney as he explains what we are doing to eradicate child poverty and provide whole family support. pic.twitter.com/F7zeJGhl8g
Announcing the investment at Peat Road Medical Practice, in Glasgow, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Tackling child poverty is the Scottish Government’s top priority and we want every child to have the best possible start in life.
“That’s why this package of funding is so important. It will enhance and expand three highly impactful programmes which will help families access support, fair work in the NHS, and reduce child poverty.
“This support will allow these three invaluable projects to continue to grow and help even more families across Scotland.”
Dr Elizabeth Bryden, GP at Peat Road Medical Centre, said: “We are delighted that the Scottish Government has extended funding for Whole Family Support through General Practice into 2026/27.
“The project helps to reduce inequalities linked to deprivation and enables children and families to reach their potential.
“Being involved in the Whole Family Support programme has made a significant difference to the families in our practice. Our Family Wellbeing Worker has used their knowledge and experience to connect families with community resources and patients place a great deal of trust in them.”
Libraries across Edinburgh are celebrating after being recognised at the prestigious Library of the Year Award at The British Book Awards 2026.
The collaborative work of Oxgangs Library, Saughton Library at HMP Edinburgh and the Mobile Library Service have been named Scotland Regional and Country Winner for Library of the Year.
Their Secret Santa Project saw individuals in custody receive specially selected library books, gift-wrapping them so recipients would have something meaningful to open on Christmas Day.
The partnership will now go forward for the overall Library of the Year Award, with the final winner to be announced at The British Book Awards 2026.
Alongside the regional win, other Edinburgh libraries were also recognised as finalists in the Scotland category.
Kirkliston and South Queensferry Library were recognised for their role supporting children and young people through transition between primary school and high school by working with local schools to promote literacy, encourage reading for pleasure and expand educational opportunities for children and young people in the local areas.
Meanwhile, Craigmillar Librarywas shortlisted for their work with young people to create a teenage book group, where the young people have not only developed a love of reading, they have also learned new skills in areas such as creative writing and research.
Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve been recognised as a Regional and Country winner for Library of the Year. This achievement is testament to the dedication and creativity of the teams at Oxgangs, Saughton Library at HMP Edinburgh and our Mobile Libraries service, whose hard work has made this possible.
“They delivered a thoughtful Secret Santa initiative that provided gift-wrapped books for people in custody at what can be a particularly lonely time of year. The project not only helped boost participation with the library but brought comfort to so many.
“My congratulations also go to the teams at Craigmillar and Kirkliston and South Queensferry Libraries who were recognised as finalists.
I’m so proud that we have such a fantastic library service across the whole city.”
