On Thursday, 18 September, 2025, a 22-year-old man was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison for sexual offences at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Jack Reid was convicted on Tuesday, 12 August, 2025 of the offences which took place between 2017 and 2022 in Edinburgh and Aberdeen and involved a man, a woman and two children.
Detective Constable Sara Duncan said: “It’s difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering Reid caused those involved in this case. I hope today’s sentencing offers them some closure.
“He will now face the consequences of his actions in prison.
“If anyone is experiencing or has experienced any type of violence or sexual abuse, we have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences. Please report it and be assured you will be fully supported and listened to.”
Police have released images of a man they believe may be able to assist with their investigation into a serious assault in Edinburgh that took place on Clerk Street around 10.45pm on Tuesday, 12 August 2025.
The man in the image is described as white, around 30 to 40 years old and of slim build. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a collar and carrying a black Fox Racing rucksack on his back.
Detective Sergeant Mark Richmond said: “We would encourage this man, anyone who may recognise him, or anyone with information about this incident to get in touch.”
Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 4130 of 12 August 2025. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
POLICE have announced that another two people have been arrested and charged in connection with Operation Portaledge, bringing the total number of arrests to 57.
On Monday, 18 August, 2025, officers arrested and charged a 25-year-old man and a 26-year-old man in connection with multiple offences in Edinburgh.
They were charged in connection with an attempted wilful fire-raising of a property on Barnton Avenue on Sunday, 17 August, 2025, the wilful fire-raising of a premises on Gorgie Road and the attempted wilful fire-raising of a vehicle on Gorgie Road on Monday, 18 August.
Both men appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 19 August, 2025.
A 16-year-old male youth has been arrested in connection with the death of a 22-year-old man in Leith yesterday (Tuesday, 2 September, 2025).
Around 2.10am, police received a report a man had been injured on Great Junction Street at Bonnington Road, Edinburgh.
Emergency services attended, however the 22-year-old man died at the scene.
His next of kin are aware and are being supported by specialist officers. Formal identification has yet to take place.
Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Pleasance of the Major Investigations Team said: “Our thoughts remain with the man’s family and friends at this very difficult time.
“Officers remain in the area carrying out enquiries as our investigation continues, and we would urge anyone with concerns to speak to them.”
POLICE have received reports of rogue traders operating in Edinburgh recently. Be on guard if someone attends at your door offering to carry out work or offering services. Don’t be afraid to say ‘No Thank You’.
Rogue traders usually cold-call, claiming to be workers offering to sell services, make repairs or carry out work on your house, garden or driveway. In reality they charge inflated prices for shoddy or unnecessary work.
We DO NOT recommend dealing with cold-callers for property maintenance and home repairs
If someone calls on you:
•Don’t feel pressurised into agreeing to immediate work or buying a product or service.
•Don’t agree to buy from the first person who calls.
•Don’t pay cash up front or offer to go and get money.
•Shop around if you decide you need work done.
•Ask what your cancellation rights are.
•Report them.
If you think work needs done get at least three quotes from trusted companies. Use The Edinburgh Trusted Trader Scheme to find tradespeople who have been checked and vetted by both Police and Trading Standards officers:
If you think a rogue trader or bogus caller has called on you, or been in your street, report this to the police immediately on 101 or in the case of an emergency, dial 999.
If you would rather remain anonymous, you can report any incidents to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Please share this advice with family, friends or neighbours who may be vulnerable.
A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a woman in East Edinburgh.
Around 1am on Thursday, 28 August, 2025, Police were called to a report of a disturbance at a property on Restalrig Avenue.
Emergency services attended and a 43-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment, where she died a short time later.
Her next of kin are aware and are being supported by specialist officers.
She can now be named as Ndata Bobb.
The man was taken to St John’s Hospital for treatment. He has since been arrested and charged in connection with the death and is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow – Monday, 1 September, 2025.
Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Ndata at this extremely difficult time.
“Our investigation remains ongoing, however we are not looking for anyone else in connection with Ndata’s death.
“This is a shocking incident and I would urge anyone with any concerns, or information, to contact police.”
The Eric Liddell community day care service in Edinburgh recently held a scam awareness session for their clients living with dementia and their care partners.
They decided to organise this session due to some clients being duped by fraudsters going door-to-door and online. The session was organised by day care manager, Caroline Heenan and was run by PC Stuart Fraser from the Community Policing Team at St Leonards Police Station.
Peta Randall, day care officer, said: “It was very interesting and makes you think how prepared fraudsters are”.
Carmel Riley, admin assistant, added: “I feel more equipped to deal with the nuisance calls I get.”
Christine, 82, said: “My husband gave money to a gardener but he made a mess and never came back.”
Beverley, 73, added: “I was scammed online, but I now understand how it can happen”.
Caroline, day care manager, said: “For others who are thinking about holding a session, I’d say go for it!
“Police Scotland are more than happy to facilitate these sessions.”
A 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the assault of a woman in Restalrig.
Around 1am this morning (Thursday, 28 August, 2025), officers were called to a report of a disturbance at a property in Restalrig Avenue.
Emergency services attended and the woman was taken to hospital where she died a short time later.
The 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the assault and enquiries are ongoing.
Restalrig Avenue remains closed while enquiries are carried out.
Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the woman at this extremely difficult time.
“There will be a continued police presence in the area while our investigations continue and I would urge anyone with any concerns, or information, to approach these officers.”
Judges given new powers to punish offenders with bans that curtail freedom
Mandatory drug testing expanded to keep offenders on straight-and-narrow
Part of the Government’s Plan for Change to make sure punishment cuts crime and keep streets safe
Criminals will be barred from pubs, concerts and sports matches under new sentencing powers unveiled by the UK Government today (Sunday 24 August) as part of its Plan for Change.
Judges will be able to curtail offenders’ freedoms with driving limits, travel bans and restriction zones confining them into specific areas.
The changes will toughen up community punishments to deter reoffending and force offenders back onto the straight-and-narrow.
As part of the Government’s work to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, offenders coming out of prison and supervised by the Probation Service will also face similar restrictions and an expanded mandatory drug testing regime.
In future, criminals without known drug habits will face this scrutiny, not just those with a history of substance misuse.
Offenders who break the rules face being brought back to court or hauled back to prison as punishment depending on the sentence they are serving.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Widening the range of punishments available to judges is part of our Plan for Change to cut crime and make streets safer.
“When criminals break society’s rules, they must be punished. Those serving their sentences in the community must have their freedom restricted there too.
“These new punishments should remind all offenders that, under this Government, crime does not pay.
“Rightly, the public expect the government to do everything in its power to keep Britain safe, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Currently, judges are able to give out limited bans for specific crimes, for example football bans for crimes committed inside a stadium on match day, to prevent further antisocial behaviour.
The Government will change the law shortly so such bans can be handed down as a form of punishment for any offence in any circumstance.
It will form part of wider reforms to sentencing to ensure punishments cut crime and prisons never again run out of places for dangerous offenders.
Over 2,400 prison places have opened since July 2024 with the Government investing £7 billion to create a total of 14,000 as the prison population increases.
Investment in the Probation Service will also receive a huge boost with an increase of up to £700 million by 2028/29, up from the annual budget of around £1.6 billion today.
This week it was revealed the number of Probation Officers has increased by seven per cent in the last 12 months, with trainee probation officer numbers also seeing a surge of 15 per cent. This follows the Government’s commitment to recruit a further 1,300 this year, in addition to the 1,000 trainee probation officers recruited last year.
New technology, including artificial intelligence, will lighten the administrative burden and free up time for probation staff to increase supervision of the most dangerous offenders and keep the public safe.
Nine Fireworks Control Zones (FCZ) will be introduced in Edinburgh this year to minimise the negative impacts of fireworks around Bonfire Night.
FCZs, which ban the use of fireworks in a specific area, were first implemented in Edinburgh last year and covered Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie and Seafield.
On Thursday, members of the Culture and Communities Committee voted to reintroduce FCZs in these areas for two years, in addition to FCZs in Corstorphine, Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone and Sighthill between 31 October and 9 November 2025.
In March people were invited to apply for their local area to become an FCZ resulting in proposals for Corstorphine, Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone and Sighthill. A subsequent public consultation on FCZs for these areas, alongside Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie and Seafield, found overwhelming support for their introduction.
Amongst the reasons community groups stated in their applications for FCZs were the misuse of fireworks and the protection of animals and vulnerable people.
Culture and Communities Convener Councillor Margaret Grahamsaid: ““We want everyone to be able to enjoy Bonfire Night safely and responsibly and these FCZs are part of our efforts to ensure that.
“The new FCZs being introduced are based on community requests and respond to real concerns around the safety of people and animals in these areas. This is in addition to the FCZs first introduced last year, which we found had a really positive effect.
“This is just one tool for minimising the negative impact of fireworks at this time of year, and we’ll continue to work closely with partners to look at different ways of addressing the issue.”
It is intended that FCZs will align with any Dispersal Zones planned by Police Scotland around Bonfire Night.
They will also support work to tackle antisocial behaviour with partners like Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) as part of the Citywide Bonfire Strategic Planning Community Improvement Partnership (CIP).
This includes patrols of fly-tipping hotspots, co-ordination of CCTV cameras, visits to premises licensed to sell fireworks to conduct safety checks and youth engagement initiatives.
