Tag: Police Scotland

Bravery and excellence celebrated at Police Scotland

The outstanding achievements and bravery of Police Scotland officers and staff and members of the public was recognised and celebrated yesterday (Friday, 19 February).

The Chief Constable’s Bravery and Excellence Awards was held virtually due to the pandemic, with officers and staff and award winners and their families able to view the ceremony remotely from across the country.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone QPM presented 25 Bravery awards to 31 police officers and 16 members of the public.

Among those receiving an award were:

• PC David Murdoch, PC Phoebe Pritchard, PC Michael Shields and PC Allan Wardrop who bravely entered a building on fire on Ayr High Street in May 2020. The building was well alight and many residents were asleep due to the time of day. Their courageous actions led to the rescue of many people and prevented any loss of life.

PC David Murdoch, PC Phoebe Pritchard, PC Michael Shields and PC Allan Wardrop
• Detective Constable Glynn Powell who entered the Water of Leith while off duty and to rescue a three-year-old child who had fallen into the river in September 2020. He administered emergency first aid after pulling the child to safety. The girl went on to make a full recovery.

• Dr George Parsonage who has been involved in more than 2000 rescues on the River Clyde over the course of 40 years’ involvement with the Glasgow Humane Society. He has worked closely with police and the other emergency services throughout this time and his expertise in river rescue is highly renowned.

DR George Parsonage

Mr Livingstone also presented Excellence awards to 15 individuals and teams in 11 separate categories.

• Police Officer of the Year was named as Detective Inspector Michael McCullagh of the Cybercrime Investigations Unit for his instrumental work in helping develop the overall understanding of cybercrime in Scotland.

• Policing Partner of the Year was awarded to Castlerock Edinvar team leader Cheryl Neill. She worked closely with community officers to reduce anti-social behaviour and improve living standards at social housing run by the social landlord in Edinburgh.

• Team of the Year was awarded jointly to Dumfries and Galloway Division CID and the National Wildlife Crime Unit for their investigation into poisoning incidents involving birds of prey in the Stewartry area. This investigation led to an individual being convicted of wildlife crime offences.

• Police Scotland’s voluntary officers were also honoured, with Special Constable Stuart Anderson and Special Constable Lee McWhinney jointly named Special Constable of the Year.

SPC Anderson became the first special constable to lead a drugs operation in his home area of Fife, while SPC McWhinney gave more than 1000 hours of voluntary service over 12 months in West Dunbartonshire and has now joined Police Scotland as a probationary officer.

Special Constable Stuart Anderson and Special Constable Lee McWhinney

Mr Livingstone said: “The last 12 months have underlined the relentless and challenging nature of policing.

“Officers and staff are playing a crucial role supporting the national response to coronavirus. At the same time, they continue to meet the needs of our communities, providing day-to-day policing and responding to a number of demanding and high profile incidents.

“Today is an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding policing which occurs all over Scotland, day in, day out, and to commend members of the public for the selfless acts of bravery and courage to help their fellow citizens.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our winners and nominees and thank them for their commitment to public service.

“I’m also grateful to Police Mutual for their continued support of this important event.”


Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf said: “The Bravery and Excellence Awards allow us to reflect on selfless acts of courage which have made a real difference to people at their greatest time of need and to recognise the innovative and high quality work by officers and staff from across the Service, the Scottish Police Authority and other partners.

“I want to thank all the officers, staff and members of the public, who were nominated for awards, for their service and support in these challenging times.

“I have always been proud of the dedication shown by our police officers and police staff, to keep us all safe, and the current pandemic has highlighted that the police workforce is highly adaptable in its response to new challenges.”


Martyn Evans, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “Congratulations to all today’s winners and to those nominated for awards. These are truly extraordinary times but Police Scotland’s officers and staff continue to excel in challenging circumstances.

“Today’s awards ceremony gives us the opportunity to celebrate just a small number of examples of bravery and courage but we at the Authority acknowledge that examples like these are being carried out across Scotland on a daily basis as officers and staff work alongside partners and members of the public to keep Scotland’s communities safe.”

Sir Jon Murphy QPM DL LLB (Hons), chairman of the Police Mutual Oversight Committee, said: “Each nominee is a credit to their family and friends, their communities, and the police service.

“We are always proud of your outstanding demonstrations of courage and I am delighted to also be able to recognise bravery and excellence in policing through our sponsorship of these awards.”


Corinne Porter, relationship manager for Police Mutual, Scotland, Northern Ireland and north England, said: “It is an honour for Police Mutual to be sponsoring the Police Scotland Chief Constable’s Bravery & Excellence Awards and I, along with all my colleagues, would like to offer our thanks to those who were nominated for your achievements as well as congratulations to the winners.

“Thank you for continuing to inspire us in all that you do.”

The Excellence Award winners are:

Equality Award – Detective Constables James Dainton and Alison Fraser (North East Division)

Policing Partner of the Year – Ms Cheryl Neill – Castlerock Edinvar (Edinburgh City Division)

Team of the Year – Dumfries CID and National Wildlife Crime Unit (Dumfries and Galloway Division and Specialist Crime Division)
Police Officer of the Year – Detective Inspector Michael McCullagh (Specialist Crime Division)

Probationary Constable of the Year – Constable Amy Ritchie (Edinburgh City Division)

Police Member of Staff of the Year – Ms Sheena Brennan (Corporate Services Division)

Special Constable of the Year – Special Constable Stuart Anderson (Fife Division) & Special Constable Lee McWhinney (Argyll and West Dunbartonshire Division)

Police Scotland Unsung Hero Award – Ms Susanne Carmichael (Specialist Crime Division)

Wellbeing Award – Ms Jackie Tindal and Sergeant Sandra Fleming (Corporate Services Division)

The Bravery Award winners are:

Constables James Will, Alison Davis and Dayle Crawford (North East Division)

Master Nathan Anderson-Moores (The Lothians and Scottish Borders)

Mr Gerrard Morrison (Renfrewshire and Inverclyde)

Sebastian Williams (Argyll and West Dunbartonshire)
Constable Callum Forbes (Fife Division)

Ms Natasha Huk and Mr Robert Petrie (Edinburgh City)

Constables David Johnston and Craig Barr (Greater Glasgow Division)

Constables Lisa Parker and Greig Porteous (The Lothians and Scottish Borders Division)

Constables Allan Wardrop, Phoebe Pritchard, Michael Shields and David Murdoch (Ayrshire Division)

Ms Nicky Page (The Lothians and Scottish Borders)

Mr William Wilson (Tayside)

Liam Erskine (Ayrshire)

Detective Constable Glynn Powell (Edinburgh City)

Dr George Parsonage (Greater Glasgow)

Seen something? Say something

National Adult Protection Day 2021

The local body responsible for co-ordinating the safety and well-being of adults in Edinburgh is backing the fourth national Adult Protection Day today (20th February 2021).

Edinburgh’s Adult Protection Committee is hoping to raise awareness of how some adults are harmed or abused. It is encouraging people to act on their gut feeling and say something when they see anything that points to an abusive situation to someone they know or come across.

Harm and abuse can take many forms; physical, psychological, financial, sexual harm, neglect and self-harm but there are usually signs and clues that indicate something out of the ordinary might be happening.

Through the Edinburgh Adult Protection Committee, City of Edinburgh Council, NHS Lothian, Police Scotland and local voluntary sector organisations, are committed to working together to tackle abuse of vulnerable adults.

Jackie Irvine, Chief Social Work Officer at City of Edinburgh Council said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe. However, for some people, a disability, health condition or impairment can prevent them from being able to keep themselves from harm. 

“It’s not always easy to tell if an adult is in trouble, but there are signs and situations to be aware of. For example a person may have unexplained cuts and bruises or refuse to talk about their injuries.

“They may be failing to look after themselves or their property, or are confused where their money has gone, or giving money to people they know for reasons that might concern you. They may constantly be having people – friends or strangers – ‘hanging out’ at their house.”

Anne Neilson, Chair of the Adult Protection Committee added: “We all have a responsibility to look out for people in our communities. If you’re concerned an adult is at risk of harm, or something feels wrong, it’s right to have it checked out. 

“Of course we understand that sometimes members of the public may not want to get involved, intrude  on privacy or  subject another person to unfair accusations. But the process can be simple – you can send an email or anonymous phone call and it will be checked out and any support needed will be given. It may be a false alarm, but there’s no harm in being sure.”

Find out about the types of harm we can help with and if you are worried about an adult at risk of harm you can contact the social work service Social Care Direct on 0131 200 2324

Three arrested for drug offences

Three men were arrested in Edinburgh on Wednesday for drug related offences following proactive patrols in the city.

A 27-year-old man was found to be in possession of crack cocaine valued at £220 on Leith Street. He was arrested and charged with drug related offences and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

In an unrelated incident, a vehicle was stopped by officers on mobile patrol on Ferry Road on Wednesday evening.

A 22-year-old man was arrested and a 21-year-old man made off on foot and was arrested a short time later. Crack cocaine and cannabis with a collective value of £1,400 was recovered.

The 22-year-old man was charged with drug related offences and possession of an offensive weapon.

The 21-year-old man was charged with drug related offences, numerous road traffic offences, an obstruction offence and possession of an offensive weapon.

Both will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date for the offences committed on 17/02/21.

Arrests in Edinburgh and Glasgow after human trafficking operation

An intelligence led operation saw officers from Greater Glasgow Human Trafficking Unit execute three search warrants in Glasgow, along with a search warrant executed in Edinburgh on Monday (15 February 2021).

Detective Inspector Mark McLennan of Greater Glasgow CID said: “Officers carried out search warrants at addresses in Denniston, Maryhill and Thornliebank in Glasgow and the Canongate area of Edinburgh.

“A 28-year-old woman and two men aged 32 and 45 were arrested in Glasgow and charged in connection with human trafficking and sexual exploitation. All three were expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday. A 31-year-old man was also reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

“We worked closely with Edinburgh City, National Human Trafficking Unit and Home Office Immigration Enforcement Crime and Financial Investigation Scotland as part of this operation.”

Police step up tram patrols

Edinburgh police will carry out increased patrols at tram stops and on trams over coming days following recent incidents of antisocial behaviour.

PC Mike McGill, Transport Liaison Officer for Edinburgh City Police Division, said: “We have received reports of issues on some trams in Edinburgh recently and damage being caused.

“Dealing with disorder and antisocial behaviour is a priority for us and we want tram staff and customers to feel safe. You’ll see a police presence on some trams this weekend and we will also be paying attention to tram stops.

“If you have any information regarding antisocial behaviour can I ask that you pass this on to police via 101. Alternatively, you can pass on any information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Pennywell Road delivery van theft: teenager arrested

A 17-year-old man has been charged with the theft of a delivery van on Pennywell Road yesterday (Thursday 11 February).

He was arrested after a pursuit and was also charged with driving offences and possession of weapons.

Enquiries are ongoing in relation to similar thefts in the city recently.

82 year old woman assault and robbery in Leith: man charged

UPDATE

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an assault and robbery in Leith.

The incident happened around 4.35pm on Mon, 8 Feb, 2021, on Hamburgh Place. A report will be submitted to the PF and the man is due to appear at Edinburgh SC today (Thursday 18 February).

See original report below:

Police are appealing for witnesses following an assault and robbery in Leith. The incident happened around 4.35pm yesterday (Monday 8 February) on Hamburgh Place and involved an 82-year-old woman.

She was hit to the head from behind and her handbag was grabbed by a man, before being pushed to the ground in a struggle and her bag taken. Hear assailant then ran off on foot down Portland Street.

The woman suffered serious injury and was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment to a broken hip, where she remains in a stable condition.The suspect is described as being a white man around 16 to 30-years-old and of a slim build. At the time of the incident he was wearing dark clothing and a dark hoodie with the hood up.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait of Edinburgh CID: “This was a terrifying attack for the woman involved who has suffered serious injury and remains in hospital for treatment.

“Officers are reviewing CCTV footage in the area to help trace the person responsible for this and I would urge anyone with private or business systems in the area to please make this available to us.

“We are also appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and saw anything which might be helpful to our enquiries to come forward.

“Similarly, anyone who might have been driving in the area and recording via dash-cam, please let us know if you captured anything which might be relevant to our investigation.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 2375 of 8 February, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Amber weather warning for snow

The transport network is expected to face a further period of disruption following an upgraded amber warning for snow in central Scotland.

The Met Office has issued an upgraded amber warning for parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, as well as West Lothian, East and West Dunbartonshire, and North Lanarkshire. It runs from 3am on Tuesday morning until 9pm tonight.

A yellow warning for snow remains in place for parts of central and eastern Scotland until midnight on Wednesday.

The current COVID restrictions mean that people should not be making journeys unless they are for an essential purpose.

Potential impacts of the amber warning include long delays and cancellations on bus and rail travel. Roads may be affected by deep snow, particularly over higher routes, and some rural communities might be cut off. Interruptions to power supplies and telephone networks could also occur.

Our operating companies are continuing to closely monitor the trunk road network, pre-deploying resources and carrying out dedicated patrols and treatments, as well as providing assistance to motorists where necessary.

Specialist snow plans have been activated for key routes, such as the M8 and M80, and the Multi Agency Response Team will be operational throughout the warning period.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “We’re being warned that parts of Scotland are expected to face another period of  challenging weather, with the Met Office issuing an amber snow warning for Tuesday.

“The current COVID restrictions mean you should only be leaving your home for an essential purpose, so please consider if your journey is absolutely necessary before setting off. The forecast conditions will likely cause difficult driving conditions and disruption to the wider transport network.

 “If you do have to make an essential journey, then the advice remains the same as it has throughout this winter – plan your route in advance, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice. There may be disruption on other modes of transport, so you should check with your operators before setting off.

“Motorists can check with Traffic Scotland to make sure that their route is available. The Traffic Scotland mobile website – my.trafficscotland.org – lets people get the latest information on the move and the Traffic Scotland twitter page is also updated regularly.”

Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: “Government restrictions on only travelling if your journey is essential remains in place and so with an Amber warning for snow, please consider if your journey really is essential and whether you can delay it until the weather improves.

“If you deem your journey really is essential, plan ahead and make sure you and your vehicle are suitably prepared by having sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food, water and charge in your mobile phone in the event you require assistance.

“The Met Office, Traffic Scotland and SEPA websites and social media channels have valuable information about weather disruptions and we would encourage people to check these sites before setting off on their journey.”

Community Police to launch Beat Hunger campaign

North East Edinburgh Community Policing Team will be launching the ‘Beat Hunger’ campaign in the coming weeks aimed at tackling food inequality and food poverty in the area.

Sergeant Elaine McArthur-Kerr, from Leith Community Policing Team said: “The Beat Hunger campaign will initially be open to identified groups within the foodbank community who will receive additional support to their foodbank emergency food boxes.

“We are building on positive relationships that exist between the police and the wider community for this project which has been funded by Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr’s Local Partnership and Initiative fund.

“Police Scotland is committed to working with communities and protecting those who are vulnerable. Our aim is to adopt a joint approach with our partners who are participating in the campaign, to help improve physical and mental health while positively promoting healthy eating and assisting with lifelong learning.

“Additional support supplied in the ‘Beat Box’ by police will include a recipe book by Edinburgh-born Michelin star chef Martin Wishart from local ‘Restaurant Martin Wishart’ containing simple nutritious meals cooked using basic utensils with step-by-step instructions.”

The recipes will accommodate those with no cookery skills & provide activity for those with families. The book also includes tips on food management and budgetting. In addition, the recipe book will contain signposting to additional support, such as mental health and family support.

There will be a selection of basic cookery utensils and fresh nutritious ingredients to supplement long life items typically issued by foodbanks and items typically found within the household.

Keep an eye on Edinburgh Police social media for updates on the #BeatHunger campaign.

Three die in Kilmarnock incidents

Detectives are continuing enquiries following three incidents in the Kilmarnock area last night.

The first incident occurred around 7.45pm outside Crosshouse Hospital, when a 39-year-old woman was found injured in the car park.  She received medical care but she died at the scene.

The second incident occurred twenty minutes later on Portland Street, where a 24-year-old woman had been stabbed. Emergency services attended and she was taken to Crosshouse hospital where she later died.

A further incident, a fatal road crash, occurred on the C50, a road between the B7036 and the A76. Emergency services attended but the 40-year-old male driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Family relatives have been made aware. 

Enquiries carried out so far have indicated that the incidents were linked and an investigation is under way to establish the exact circumstances of what happened. 

Officers are not looking for anyone else as part of their investigation and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain said: “A number of locations remain cordoned off as officers continue to conduct enquiries.  We are working to confirm the full circumstances of what has happened. If anyone has any information which could assist our enquiries, please do contact us.

“Understandably, people will be shocked by what has happened.  We are still in the process of establishing the full circumstances, however, I would like to reassure people that there is no wider threat to the community.  Officers will be on patrol and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers.

Local diversions are in place as a number of areas remain cordoned off in the town centre and ear on the road between the B7036 and A76.

If anyone has any information which could assist this investigation, please do contact police on 101.