Tag: Police Scotland

Police Scotland supports National Hate Crime Awareness Week

Police Scotland is supporting National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2019 which runs from 12 – 19 October:

As part of this week, we are raising awareness of hate crimes and encouraging people to report them. Tackling hate crime is a key priority for us. If you have been a victim of a hate crime, always report it to us. There’s lots of help and support available for you.

The official definition of hate crime is ‘any crime which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group’.

This means that any of us can be a victim of hate crime at any time. Hate crime can happen in many different ways. It could be someone shouting and swearing at you, threatening you or verbally abusing you. It could be offensive graffiti, being physically assaulted or receiving online abuse. So if you are targeted by a person or group of people and you think the reason you have been targeted is because of:

  • Disability
  • Race
  • Religion/Belief
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Transgender Identity

Then this is a hate crime. There is no excuse for hate crime – if you have been a victim of hate crime or have witnessed it please report it.

How to report a hate crime

Hate crimes are largely unreported to police.

Why you should report a hate crime

We want everyone living, working and visiting Scotland to feel and be safe. We recognise that hate crime has a huge impact on the quality of life of the individual, their family and friends and the wider community. It is only by reporting hate crime that we can truly tackle the issue and bring perpetrators to justice.

Police Scotland is fully committed to reviewing and investigating all reports of hate crime.

Contact Details

Call 101 for non-emergencies and general enquiries, in an emergency call 999. If you have information about a crime you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Human trafficking gang convicted following five year operation

Four members of an organised crime group have been convicted of trafficking offences at the High Court in Glasgow. Three men and one woman convicted yesterday marked the conclusion of a five-year-long investigation undertaken by Police Scotland. Continue reading Human trafficking gang convicted following five year operation

Mummy’s Boy: Driving home the message about motorcycle crime

‘Mummy’s Boy’ was premiered at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the High Street in Edinburgh on Thursday.

The short film is a collaboration between several organisations including Creative Scotland, Transport Scotland, Screen Education Edinburgh, Police Scotland Edinburgh Division and students from Broughton, Holyrood and Drummond High Schools.

The students played a very active part in making the film which delivers a message to young people about the potential consequences of becoming involved in crime.

PC Greig Stephen hosted the event and there were speeches from Superintendent Richard Thomas, Sean Young from Screen Education Edinburgh and Louise Lothian who lost her 14-year-old nephew Brad Williamson in June 2016 after a motorbike he was riding was involved in a collision.

Louise gave a first-hand account of the impact of losing a loved one in tragic circumstances and at such a young age.
Superintendent Thomas said: “Tackling all forms of motorcycle crime and anti-social behaviour across Edinburgh remains one of our top priorities and through Operation Soteria, we continue to conduct enforcement activity.
“We are working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council deploying officers on off road motorcycles, and have pioneered new methods of crime detection, such as the use of DNA tagging spray to identify those involved in these offences and bring them to justice.

“We have also worked hard with third sector organisation Aid & Abet and with people personally affected by the tragic consequences of recent incidents to impress on young people the real dangers of dangerous motor cycle riding.

“We know from experience that prevention is better than cure and this very impactful film provides a hard-hitting insight into the impact and devastation that can be caused if you are involved in the theft or criminal use of a motorcycle.

“Mummy’s Boy may be a short-film, but its message is very poignant and clear and I wish to thank all of the young people involved, as well as Sean Young from Screen Education Edinburgh, for their dedication and hard work in pulling this altogether.

“The production will be of great use to not only officers in Edinburgh, but across the country, where motorcycle crime is an area of concern for local communities.”

The students were all involved in the production of the film both in front of, and behind, the camera. They hope to reach out to other young people to think twice before making a decision which could have fatal consequences.

Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith said: “I have long been a supporter of the creative and collaborative approach taken by Police Scotland to address motorcycle related anti-social behaviour in the north of the city.

“By working with the local youth organisations and seeking to positively engage with the young people, we have seen significant results – not just in the crime statistics but, even more importantly, in a shift in attitudes to this kind of reckless behaviour from the young people themselves.

“‘Mummy’s Boy’ is a wonderful example of this approach and will leave an educational legacy which will help other communities all over Scotland follow the example of the young people in my constituency.”

Please take 5 minutes to watch ‘Mummy’s Boy’ on Vimeo: 
https://vimeo.com/359020419

Police recognised as Living Wage employer

The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have been formally accredited as living wage employers by Living Wage Scotland.

The Living Wage commitment will see everyone who works either directly for, or who is contracted by, the SPA or Police Scotland earn more than the minimum rate of £9 an hour  – significantly higher than the government minimum wage for over 25s of £8.21 per hour. Continue reading Police recognised as Living Wage employer

Police raise awareness of online fraud after incident in the Borders

Police Scotland is urging people to be on guard against online fraud after a Borders man was tricked into parting with more than £20,000.

The 67-year-old man, who lives in the Galashiels area, was contacted on social media and persuaded to click a link suggesting he had “won” £150,000.

He was then encouraged to part with a combination of cash and gift cards totalling £21,000 to pay for “delivery fees” and later “taxes”. Continue reading Police raise awareness of online fraud after incident in the Borders

Police Scotland: Discover YOUR Journey

Discover YOUR Journey

Scotland is an increasingly diverse country and Police Scotland want to represent this change.

Police Scotland is running one day events aimed at encouraging you to ‘Discover your Journey’ towards considering a career in policing. The courses are designed to provide an insight into the role of a police officer/special constable

During the day attendees will receive inputs from specialist departments, speak to police officers and learn about the recruitment process.

DATE: Tuesday 8th October 2019

ADDRESS: Fettes Police Station, Fettes Avenue, Edinburgh, EH4 1RB

For more information and to reserve a space please email:

recruitmentpositiveactionteam@scotland.pnn.police.uk

providing your name and contact number or request to join our closed Facebook page at: ‘Police Scotland Positive Action’

Body of missing man Stanislaw Zajac found

Police have confirmed that the body of missing man Stanislaw Zajac has been found.

The 51-year-old was last seen on Saturday 31st August in the Leith area.

On Sunday (15th September) officers responded to a report that a body had been found on an East Lothian beach. The body has now been formally identified as that of Mr Zajac and his family have been informed.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

 

Sharp rise in Scotland’s crime figures

Violent crime in Scotland has risen by 10% in the year to last March, official figures revealed yesterday. It’s the highest level for seven years, with a 16% rise in robberies.

The figures show there was also an 8% increase in sexual crimes, including rape, to  to the highest level ever recorded.

Despite these statistics the Scottish Government says violent crime is much lower than a decade ago. Continue reading Sharp rise in Scotland’s crime figures

Man jailed for theft and reset of thousands of university books

A man responsible for the high-value theft of books from Edinburgh’s universities has been jailed for stealing nearly 7000 books from Edinburgh colleges.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday Darren Barr, who is also known as Alexander Van De Kamp, was given 25-months in prison for stealing and resetting thousands of pieces of literature from Edinburgh Napier University, Heriot Watt University and the University of Edinburgh. Continue reading Man jailed for theft and reset of thousands of university books