Police in Edinburgh are appealing for information and urging businesses to be vigilant following incidents of frauds via payment card devices.
Fraudsters are reported to have entered retail and hospitality establishments in the city centre and swapped the card machine belonging to the business for their own one. This results in payments for subsequent sales being fraudulently paid into the scammer’s bank account.
There were two reported incidents on Thursday (20 January 2022), in the city centre resulting in a mid-five figure sum of money being stolen. These are being treated as linked and enquiries are ongoing.
Sergeant Janie Harman from the Prevention, Intervention and Partnerships Department said: “We are urging retail and hospitality staff to be extra vigilant and ensure that they are in control of the card devices at all times, even when it’s not in use.
“If you think you may have been a victim of this type of fraud, contact your bank immediately, ensure that any CCTV is secured and contact police on 101, or in an emergency always call 999.
“Anyone with information about these incidents who has not already contacted Police Scotland should call 101, quoting reference 1971 of 20 January 2022, or report information anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Police have welcomed the conviction of Nikolaos Karvounakis after he left an improvised explosive device (IED) in Princes Street Gardens in January 2018.
At the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, the 35-year-old Greek national pled guilty to being in possession of items for a terrorist purpose.
Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Houston said: “Karvounakis showed a blatant disregard for members of the public by placing the IED indiscriminately within Princes Street Gardens. Fortunately, it did not initiate, but his intention was clear and there was certainly the potential to cause significant, or even fatal, injury to innocent passers-by.
“I welcome his guilty plea and conviction which is testament to the perseverance of our diligent investigation team over the last four years.
“Since the discovery of the package, officers from Police Scotland’s Counter Terrorism Unit carried out extensive enquiries, including with European partners and law enforcement agencies. They were absolutely committed to the challenging inquiry to identify who was responsible.
“The successful conclusion of this investigation today has been founded on the strong co-operation and working closely with the Counter Terrorism Network across the UK and internationally.”
A 31-year-old man has been charged with six offences related to housebreakings and theft.
Officers responded to a call from a member of the public in the Barnton area during the early hours of Tuesday morning (18 January) regarding suspicious activity.
Officers attended and arrested the man nearby. The charges relate to offences which took place between 15 and 18 January 2022.
The man will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
Police Scotland has released an image of a man they believe may hold information which might assist in relation to an incident that occurred on West Richmond Street at around 11.10pm on Wednesday, 15 September, 2021.
The man is described as around 40 – 50 years old, average height and heavy build. He was wearing a black jacket, black trousers and had a bright blue rucksack.
Detective Constable Greg Manley said: “I would urge the man, or anyone who has information relating to him, depicted in the image to make contact with the police.
“Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via the 101 non-emergency telephone number quoting incident number 1825 of 16 September 2021.
“Alternatively, calls can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Police Scotland has released an image of a male they believe may hold information which might assist in relation to an incident that occurred at Giles Street at around 4.30am on Saturday, 9 October, 2021.
The male is described as being in his late 30s, of average build with short dark hair.
Detective Constable Greg Manley said: “I would urge the male, or anyone who has information relating to him, depicted in the image to make contact with the Police.
“Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via the 101 non-emergency telephone number quoting incident number 0758 of Saturday, 9 October, 2021.
“Alternatively, calls can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
More than 600 motorists were detected for drink drug drive offences during the annual festive drink drug drive campaign.
During the campaign, which ran between 1 December 2021 and 3 January 2022, Police Scotland officers carried out 2965 roadside tests. Overall, 628 drivers were detected for drink or drug driving offences.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said: “It is really disappointing to see that some people are still willing to take the risk of driving after consuming alcohol or drugs.
“Our campaign was intelligence led, with a number of drivers reported to us by colleagues, friends or family. Please continue to alert us to concerning driving behaviour as drink/drug driving remains a priority for us throughout the year.
“Everyone has a part to play in reducing road casualties and your information helps our officers to act quickly to stop drivers who are selfishly putting lives at risk by driving after consuming alcohol or drugs.”
POLICE Scotland will be hosting an online recruitment event aimed at people from all minority ethnic communities across Scotland tonight.
This event will give attendees a fantastic opportunity to hear from serving BME officers and their experiences as a police officer in Scotland as well as the opportunity to ask questions.
The event will also focus on the recruitment process and the training, with a unique insight in to life at the Scottish Police College. The event will be held on Microsoft Teams tonight – Thursday 13th January – from 6.30pm – 8.30pm.
The consent, support and co-operation of our fellow citizens lies at the heart of the identity and legitimacy of policing in Scotland.
To ensure that bond is as strong as possible, we must fully represent and reflect the communities we serve. Inclusion is an operational necessity and morally the right thing to do.
We are committed to increasing the number of officers and staff from under-represented groups.There are well documented barriers to some people applying to join the police service.
We therefore run a number of different recruitment events to answer specific questions from people from diverse communities. This is to make sure everyone has fair access to the Police Scotland recruitment process.
Police Scotland has released images of four men they believe may hold information which might assist in relation to a serious assault that occurred on Frederick Street around 3.20am on Friday, 4 September, 2021.
The first man is described as being Asian, 18-30-years-old, medium build, wearing a light pink coloured shirt, blue jeans and white trainers with an item of clothing tied around his waist.
The second man is described as being Asian, 18-30-years-old, tall and thin build, mid length black hair, wearing a grey t-shirt with dark coloured shirt which is open. Grey jeans and dark coloured trainers.
The third man is described as being Asian, 20-30-years-old, medium build, with long black shoulder length hair and facial hair, wearing a grey shirt carrying a grey jacket, tan coloured trousers and black shoes.
The forth man is described as being white, 18-25-years-old, medium build, wearing a short sleeved patterned shirt, jeans and dark coloured trainers with a white sole.
Detective Constable Mark Walker of Gayfield CID said: “I would urge each of these four men, or anyone who has information relating to any of these four men, depicted in the images to make contact with the Police.
“Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via the 101 non-emergency telephone number quoting incident number 0657 of 4 September, 2021 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
One week on from when she was last seen in Portobello, the family of 28-year-old Alice Byrne yesterday issued an appeal urging anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward.
Alice’s family said: “Alice has been missing for one week now and we are shocked and distressed by her disappearance. She always keeps in contact with us so we are extremely worried because we have not heard from her. We are desperate to know where she is.
“If Alice sees this, we want her to know how much we miss her. We just want her home safe and well.
“We urge anyone who has seen Alice, or who has any information at all that might help police find her to phone officers and pass on any information you have.
“We are very grateful for the support we have received during this upsetting time. We would like to thank everyone who has shared appeals to find her, the police for their professionalism and especially the local community for all the support they’ve given.”
Alice was last seen leaving a friend’s flat in Marlborough Street between 8am and 10am on Saturday, 1 January and from enquiries to date, officers believe that she potentially headed in the direction of the promenade and beach.
She is described as white, around 5ft 6ins in height and of medium build with short black hair. When she was last seen she was wearing a black top, black jeans ripped at the knees and white trainers.
Chief Inspector Kieran Dougal said yesterday: “It has now been one week since Alice was last seen and since then she has not made any contact with family or friends. As time passes we have become increasingly concerned for her wellbeing and safety.
“Since Alice was reported missing, extensive searches and enquiries have been carried out throughout primarily the Portobello area. These searches are ongoing and we continue to be assisted by specialist police resources including air support, police dogs, search officers and our Marine Unit.
“We continue to appeal to anyone who was in the Portobello area at that time who may have dash cam footage to check devices and call if you have any sightings of Alice. We are aware that the beach and Promenade area was busy on New Year’s morning so appeal to anyone to review photos and call if they have any information that may assist in tracing Alice. Officers have been speaking to local people and visiting local businesses in the area in case anyone remembers seeing Alice in the area.
“Naturally Alice’s friends and family are extremely concerned and we just want to trace her as soon as possible to ensure she is safe. Again, I would urge anyone who has seen Alice since Saturday, 1 January, or who has any information that may be relevant to our investigation to contact us as soon as possible.
“If Alice reads this appeal, please phone your family, friends or the police.”
Any information can be passed to police through 101 with reference 0647 of 2 January.
Cyclists have priority over cars when cars turning
