A 34-year-old man was arrested and charged yesterday with five offences in connection with a series of pickpocket-style thefts in Edinburgh city centre on Saturday and Sunday (February 24 – 25).
Following his arrest, officers searched his residence as part of the investigation.
Police are continuing inquiries and urge anyone with information to come forward. Remember to keep your belongings secure and stay alert when out in busy public areas, as pickpocketing can happen quickly.
Police Scotland has released an image of a man who may be able to assist their enquiries into an attempted robbery which occurred around 6.25pm on Monday 7 October, 2024. The incident happened in the Prestonfield Avenue area.
The man (pictured) is described as being around 5ft 4inches in height, aged in his early to mid-30s with short dark hair and of a heavy build. He was wearing a black hooded jumper, a black body warmer, dark three-quarter length trousers and black trainers.
Detective Constable Christopher Stewart said: “I would urge the man pictured or anyone who may recognise him to contact us. If you have any information about this incident, please get in touch as soon as possible.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 3000 of 7 October, 2024. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Today marks the start of CyberScotland Week – take steps to protect yourself from a cybercrime:
Think before you post – Scammers can use your content for criminal purposes.
Deactivate old accounts – Unused profiles can be hacked, so delete them to stay secure.
Check privacy settings – Control who sees your information to protect yourself from scams and fraud.
You can find out further information on how to protect yourself online on Police Scotland’s website:
The NSPCC is urging the UK Government to ensure children are better protected in private messaging environments, as Scottish Government data reveals that 3,419 child sexual abuse crimes have been recorded by Police Scotland since 2019.
In the last two years they have reached record levels, with more than 700 offences being logged each year (748 in 2023/24 and 765 in 2022/23).
A separate Freedom of Information request submitted to police forces across the UK by the NSPCC showed that where law enforcement recorded the platform used by perpetrators, exactly half (50%) took place on Snapchat and a quarter on Meta products – 11% on Instagram, 7% on Facebook and 6% on WhatsApp[1].
In response, a joint letter from charities, including the NSPCC, Marie Collins Foundation, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse, and Barnardo’s, has been sent to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology Peter Kyle.
The letter expresses collective concern regarding Ofcom’s final Illegal Harms Code of Practice published in December 2024. The charities argue that as it stands, children will not be protected from the worst forms of abuse on private messaging services under Ofcom’s plans, despite this being a core aim of the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom has stated that user-to-user services are only required to remove illegal content where it is ‘technically feasible’. This exception creates an unacceptable loophole, allowing some services to avoid delivering the most basic protections for children.
Data from police forces on the number of recorded offences where the platform was known indicates private messaging sites are involved in more crimes than any other type of platform, with perpetrators exploiting the secrecy offered by these spaces to harm children and go undetected.
The NSPCC wants the UK Government to push Ofcom to review and strengthen their most recent codes of practice on tackling this threat to children’s safety online.
The charity is also calling for private messaging services, including those using end-to-end encryption, to make sure there are robust safeguards in place to ensure their platforms do not act as a ‘safe haven’ for perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
End-to-end encryption is a secure communication system where only communicating users can participate. This means that service providers can be blinded to child sexual abuse material being shared through their platform.
Aoife, 21, from East Kilbride, an NSPCC Lived Experience Advocate, has shared her advice to any children who experience online harms.
Aoife was exploited online when she was 15 by a man, she met online on Yubo. He pretended to be a teenager around her age and convinced her to download another app, Telegram, and then asked her to send him images of herself. Then he blackmailed her with these, threatening to share them with all her friends and family on Facebook, to control her behaviour.
When his demands became increasingly intense and frightening, Aoife recalled being told about the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) at school and reported the images. Through this, her school and then her parents were informed and supported her with reporting what happened to the police. The perpetrator was eventually sentenced in 2022 following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
She said: “If a young person is asked to share an explicit image of themselves with someone online, I would say don’t do it! You might want to and think you know what you are doing, and that you’ll be safe but if you met them online you don’t know who that person is. For all you know they could be the opposite of who they say they are, so I would say – just don’t do it. It’s not worth the risk.
“If a young person has shared an image and they are being threatened tell someone you trust whether that’s a parent, teacher or neighbour because they will look out for you and help.
“I would also say to anyone who experiences this – it’s not your fault. You are the victim. You might be thinking how could I be so silly and put myself in this position but when you are young it’s perfectly normal to make mistakes – you’re still learning – so don’t be hard on yourself. You have been taken advantage of, and they are to blame, not you.”
Insight from NSPCC counselling service, Childline, provides further evidence of how young people are being targeted or blackmailed to share child abuse images via the calculated use of private messaging apps.
Last year, Childline delivered 903 counselling sessions to children and young people relating to blackmail or threats to expose or share sexual images online. This was a 7% increase compared to 2022/23.
Chris Sherwood, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: “It is deeply alarming to see thousands of child sexual abuse image crimes recorded by Police Scotland in the past five years. These offences cause tremendous harm and distress to children, with much of this illegal material being repeatedly shared and viewed online. It is an outrage that in 2025 we are still seeing a blatant disregard from tech companies to prevent this illegal content from proliferating on their sites.
“Having separate rules for private messaging services lets tech bosses off the hook from putting robust protections for children in place.
“This enables crimes to continue to flourish on their platforms even though we now have the Online Safety Act.
“The Government must set out how they will take a bold stand against abuse on private messaging services and hold tech companies accountable for keeping children safe, even if it requires changes to the platform’s design – there can be no excuse for inaction or delay. “
POLICE are appealing for information after a man had his bike stolen in Edinburgh on Friday (14 February 2025).
Around 5.25pm, the 33-year-old man was walking through Telfer subway underpass when he was approached by another man who verbally threatened him and stole his bike.
The suspect is in his early 20s, around 5ft. 10 inches in height, with an average build. He was wearing a grey/blue coloured tracksuit with grey and white coloured footwear.
The male had his hood up and was concealing his face with a black face covering. He was also carrying a grey shoulder bag.
The suspect cycled over the Western Approach Road towards Dalry.
The bike is a yellow, Canyon Speedmax CF8, with all black wheels.
Officers are continuing to review relevant CCTV images from in and around the area for any additional details.
Detective Constable Lindsay Johnston said: “I am appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of the theft to think back and consider if they saw anything suspicious or perhaps saw the suspect on the bike.
“I would also ask anyone with dash-cam equipment to check their images as they could have captured footage with could assist us in identifying the suspect.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 2667 of 14 February, 2025. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and give your information anonymously.
Detectives are appealing for information following a fire in Leith.
The fire happened around 12am this morning (Sunday, 16 February, 2025) at a block of flats on Prince Regent Street.
There were no reported injuries.
Detective Constable Luke Wilson said: “The fire is being treated as wilful and we are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything to contact us.
“We also ask anyone with private CCTV or dashcam footage of the area at the time to come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 0053 of 16 February, 2025.
Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.
#Sextortion is a form of online blackmail.
It is where criminals threaten to share nude or semi-nude photographs of their victim if money is not paid or if the victim does not comply with some other harmful demand.
Learn more:
A 36-year-old man has been sentenced after an attempted murder in Edinburgh in 2023.
Terence Reilly was arrested and charged after the attack on a 63-year-old man in Loaning Road on Sunday, 6 August, 2023.
He was jailed for eight years at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday – Thursday, 13 February, 2025.
He was found guilty of assault to severe injury, endangerment to life and attempted murder at the same court on Thursday, 16 January, 2025.
Detective Sergeant Sophie McWhinnie said: “This was a random attack on a stranger and Reilly now faces the consequences of his violent actions.
“His victim played a vital role in achieving this outcome and I would like to thank him for his support and hope that he can now begin to move on from this experience.
“Violence and endangering the lives of others will not be tolerated and we will rigorously pursue those responsible of such crimes and ensure they are brought to justice.
“We would like to thank the community for their assistance with this enquiry, particularly those who stopped at the time to help.”
An Edinburgh man has been sentenced to 44 months in prison for explosives offences and possession of incident images of children.
Ryan O’Donnell, 37 was sentenced yesterday, Wednesday, 12 February, 2025, at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Mixed powders, including potassium nitrate, were found at his home address in Edinburgh, as well as equipment that could be used to make homemade explosives.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years for possession of almost 1500 images of children.
Detective Sergeant Jordan Sharp said: “The substances O’Donnell possessed were dangerous and could have caused serious harm if they had been used.
“The unlicenced manufacturing of homemade explosives is illegal, irrespective of the intention, and places the public at risk.
“He will also face the consequences of his actions for possessing indecent images of children. Sexual exploitation is despicable, and we remain committed to protecting children.
“We have highly trained, specialist officers, across the country who can investigate such offences and, working with partners, ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Three men arrested in connection with the seizure of Class A drugs in West Lothian have been charged in connection with serious and organised crime and drugs offences.
They are due to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday, 10 February, 2025.
It follows an operation on Thursday (6 February 2025) where officers seized drugs worth an estimated ONE MILLION pounds.
Warrants were executed across West Lothian resulting in four people being arrested in connection with organised crime and drugs offences.
The activity was a part of an ongoing investigation, Operation Silhouette and is led by the Serious and Organised Crime Unit to target and dismantle serious organised crime groups.
Locations visited included Fauldhouse, West Calder, Polbeth and Livingston.
Officers recovered 21.5kg of Cocaine, worth an estimated street value of £1,000,000, and seized around £80,000.
A woman aged 54 and three men aged 29, 35 and 54 were arrested. The woman was released pending further enquiries.
Detective Superintendent Steven Elliott said: “This is a significant seizure and continues to highlight our ongoing efforts to disrupt drug supply and protect those in our communities affected by illegal drugs.
“We work every day to protect the public to prevent drugs being circulated on our streets. This is vitally important in addressing the concerns of local people.
“Our operation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.
“Information and support from the public is vital to our work and I would encourage anyone with concerns about drug activity in their area to contact us via 101.”
