Chief Constable Jo Farrell and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Chief Officer Stuart Stevens met at Police Scotland Headquarters, Tulliallan, this week.
The meeting was the first since Chief Officer Stevens took command of the SFRS in November 2024 and covered collaborative opportunities, as well as ongoing and recent partnership working, including Operation Moonbeam.
Chief Officer Stevens said: “I was delighted to meet with Chief Constable Farrell. Protecting communities across Scotland remains at the heart of everything we do, and we strongly value our close working relationship with Police Scotland.
“I look forward to working together with police colleagues to explore and enhance further collaboration in the future, while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our staff and the public we serve.”
Chief Constable Farrell said: “I’m grateful to Stuart for his ongoing commitment to meeting collective challenges and working together to deliver for communities as part of what is a key partnership for policing.”
Bill passed to strengthen public confidence in the service
A Bill to further improve police complaints and police conduct procedures has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill will ensure allegations of misconduct among police officers and staff are dealt with more transparently and effectively.
When implemented, the legislation will mean that officers accused of gross misconduct who retire or resign from the service can still face misconduct proceedings. Those found guilty will be placed on barred lists and prohibited from being re-employed in policing.
A crucial element of the Bill relates to the ongoing vetting of police officers and staff. The new law will see mean that vetting procedures are placed on a statutory footing, that vetting is maintained throughout a career, and that the Chief Constable is given powers to remove officers and staff who cannot maintain their vetting clearance. All police officers and staff will have to go through a structured regime of on-going vetting that will continue throughout their professional life.
The new arrangements will be underpinned by a statutory Code of Ethics which sets out expectations of behaviour. To oversee these standards, the role of the independent Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) will be significantly enhanced.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Scotland is well served by the exceptional dedication and commitment of our police officers. It is an incredibly difficult frontline job and police officers and staff conduct themselves with integrity, and I am grateful to them for all they do to keep communities safe.
“It is vital, however, that where any officer falls below the standards expected, there are robust and transparent mechanisms in place to hold them to account. This Bill will mean that officers accused of gross misconduct can still face proceedings even if they leave the service.
“The public and police officers also need a vetting system they can have full confidence in, and this Bill gives the Chief Constable more powers to remove officers and staff who cannot maintain their vetting clearance.
“The measures in the Bill build on significant improvements to good practice within Police Scotland’s vetting unit which have been recognised by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS), and will further strengthen public confidence and trust in policing.”
Drugs with an estimated value of £300,000 have been recovered at an address in South-East Edinburgh.
Around 9am on Monday, 13 January, 2025, officers attended at a flat in Ochiltree Gardens, The Inch.
Enquiries were carried out an as a result a cannabis cultivation was discovered. Around 500 cannabis plants, estimated to be worth around £300,000, were discovered.
A 25-year-old man and a 22-year old woman have been arrested and charged in connection and are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today – Wednesday, 15 January, 2025.
Inspector Scott Casey said, “Serious and Organised Crime remains a priority and along with our partners and specialist resources, we are committed to detecting offences and disrupting criminal enterprises.
“We rely on the public to provide us with information to help us do so.”
If you see any suspicious activity, please contact Police Scotland on 101. Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.
Road Policing officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information and witnesses following an incident of dangerous driving in the Saughton Road North area.
Officers are aware of a video circulating on social media showing a Honda Civic speeding at 82mph and overtaking numerous vehicles into oncoming traffic.
Enquiries so far have established the video was uploaded on Monday, 6 January, 2025.
Enquiries to trace the vehicle and identify the driver are ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to come forward.
Constable Alexander Marshall, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Unit, said: “This was an extremely irresponsible and reckless act, not only to be speeding at over 80mph in a 20mph zone, but to also use a mobile phone filming yourself while doing so.
“Putting the public at risk in such a manner will not be tolerated.”
“We are asking for anyone who may have witnessed the Honda Civic in question, or can help identify the driver, to please contact police on 101, quoting incident 0555 of 14 January, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.”
Break-ins to garden sheds and thefts from gardens are common throughout the country. In fact, many criminals consider this type of crime to be low risk, as they don’t have to force entry to your home. Many people store bikes, power tools and expensive gardening equipment in their sheds making it very attractive to criminals.
The good news is that there is a lot you can do to outsmart garden thieves. A few simple solutions can make all the difference to the security of your garden:
• Make sure the lock is in good working order.
• If there are any windows in the garage/shed, fit a grill, adhesive frosting or put a curtain over the window, so that people cannot see in.
• Secure all the equipment that you can by padlock and chain, make sure it is attached to the building – a ground anchor is preferable.
• Surrounding hedges or trees should be trimmed or cropped so as not to provide cover for thieves.
• Consider installing a garage defender, which secures the door to the ground.
• If there is a door accessing the garage, make sure the locks are good quality and preferably tested to a British Standard.
• Use a good quality closed shackle padlock on your shed door. The hasp should be attached using coach bolts or anti tamper screws rather than basic screws.
• Loop a bike lock through the handles of garden forks, spades, etc. Remember, these can be used as tools to force entry to your house.
• Securitymark your bicycles, lawnmowers, toolboxes and garden furniture, by engraving, painting or using a security marker pen.
• Install security lighting to illuminate your garden.
• Fit a shed alarm. These can be bought from online for around £10.
• Consider topping your fence or wall with a trellis, which will provide an additional barrier and provide support for climbing plants.
• Aggressive plants and shrubs, such as Berberis and Hawthorn can help deter intruders.
If you see anyone acting suspiciously near to your premises please contact the police immediately with as detailed a description as possible of any person or vehicle involved. Please call 999 if an emergency and urgent police assistance is required or 101 to report the matter to the police.
POLICE are appealing for information after an 18-year-old man was found seriously injured on Bath Street, Portobello at 6.40pm last night (Friday 10 January).
Emergency services attended and he was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where his injuries are described as serious but not thought to be life threatening.
Enquiries are ongoing to identify and trace three men believed to be involved in the incident.
Two are described as tall, of slim build, wearing dark clothing, black balaclavas and riding dark coloured e-bikes.
The third is described as being of stocky build with blonde hair.
Detective Inspector Dougal Begg said: “We are continuing our enquiries to establish the full circumstances and a police presence will remain in the area.
“We believe this was a targeted attack and I would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time and who may have information which could assist to contact us.
“I would also appeal to anyone with dash-cam or private CCTV footage to get in touch.”
Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2687 of Friday, 10 January 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.
POLICE are continuing to appeal for help from the public after a camper van was stolen from an address in East Lothian.
Between 11.30pm and 11.55pm on Monday, 6 January, 2025, a grey Volkswagen T6 Transporter with the registration WX66 VVP was stolen from outside a property on Arthurs Way in Haddington.
The van was later recovered on Goldcrest Place in Cammo on the morning of Wednesday, 8 January.
Detective Constable Jamie Donaldson said: “We are grateful for the assistance we’ve received so far but are still keen to hear from anyone who could have information that could help with our enquiries.
“In particular, we’re asking residents in the Goldcrest Place area to review any dash-cam, CCTV or doorbell footage they might have for anything unusual or suspicious. We’d also like to hear from anyone else in the Edinburgh or Haddington areas who may have relevant footage or information that could assist with our investigation.
“If you think you can help, please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1607 of 7 January, 2025. Alternatively, details can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Police Scotland has launched the second phase of a national advertising campaign with TV, radio and digital advertising to recruit police officers across Scotland.
The campaign encourages potential candidates to consider the transferable skills they can bring to the role of police officer and explains why policing is a job like no other.
The first phase of the national recruitment campaign, which launched in September 2024, featured social media video adverts with real officers telling the story of their journey into the policing.
In November 2024 Police Scotland officer numbers increased to 16,603. Continued recruitment will help the Service to maintain this number.
The latest campaign messaging focuses on the transferable skills prospective candidates can bring to policing with the key message: the skills you need to be a police officer might be the ones you already have.
If you want to learn more about the job of a police officer, visit our jobs webpages, or if you’re ready for a job like no other, apply now.
POLICE are appealing for assistance to trace Safdar Hanif, 14, who is missing from the Swanston area.
Safdar was last seen in Tryst Park around 8.20pm on Saturday (4 January). His family contacted police when he didn’t return home.
He is Asian, 5ft8, has short black hair, and is wearing a navy blue Nike jacket, and green and grey Nike tracksuit.
Sergeant Louise Gordon, Wester Hailes Police Station, Edinburgh, said: “We would ask anyone who has seen Safdar or knows where he is to contact police.
“Our concern is that despite both police and his family trying to contact him, no one has managed to get a hold of him yet.
“We have been checking CCTV and are liaising with local taxi, bus and train companies in an effort to trace Safdar.
“He may be with friends but the fact that he has not been in touch or heard from is of concern. Although he looks older, he is only 14-years-old and we and his family want him home safe.”
If you have any information as to Safdar’s whereabouts, please call police via 101 and quote incident number 2957 of Saturday, 4 January 2025.
