Detectives are appealing for information following a robbery and assault in Edinburgh.
In the early hours of Tuesday, 5 July, 2022, a 25-year-old woman was pushed from behind down the stairs and had her bag stolen near Greenside Place, between Omni Centre and Edinburgh Playhouse.
The woman sustained serious injuries and attended at the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.
Detective Constable Kieran Keddie, of Gayfield CID, said: “The victim sustained serious injuries as a result of the incident and our enquiries are ongoing.
“We believe that members of the public helped the woman following the incident and we would urge those that assisted to contact officers as soon as possible.
“Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information that can assist with our investigation should contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1508 of 6 July.
“Alternatively, a call can be made anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Police are appealing for the public’s help as part of our efforts to trace Douglas Bramley, who has been reported missing in Edinburgh.
There are growing concerns for the 33-year-old, who lives in Edinburgh area and was last seen near the Grange area around 9pm on Sunday, 10 July.
Douglas is described as white, 6ft in height, slim build, with short dark brown hair and facial stubble. He is wearing jeans and a black T shirt.
Anyone who may have seen Douglas, or who has any information on his whereabouts, is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 2234 of 11 July
This week, #OperationSoteria have been conducting enquiries which have resulted in a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old being charged with offences relating to the theft of motorcycles within the city of Edinburgh, along with a number of road traffic offences.
Further enquiries have resulted in a stolen motorcycle being recovered which was stolen from the Leith area on 29/06/22.
Anyone with information about motorcycle crime or the dangerous use of motorcycles in the city can speak to officers confidentially and anonymously on 101, or through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A 40-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a large scale fraud in Edinburgh, Lothians & Fife which happened between January 2018 and April 2022.
Following an investigation by Drylaw Initiative Team, it was established that the man defrauded 21 victims out of £25,000.
He is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Friday, 8 July, 2022).
Nobody, whether a business or individual, wants to be a victim of a scam and suffer the financial loss, frustration and worry that it causes.
The information contained in this booklet can provide you with enough knowledge to have confidence in going about your daily business without the fear of falling foul of a scam.
Figures obtained by the NSPCC reveal online grooming crimes recorded by Police Scotland reach almost 3,000 in five years, with offences against under 13s rising by more than 60%.
Analysis of Freedom of Information data from Police Scotland shows that in 2021/22 there were 636 offences of Communicating Indecently with a Child, compared with 429 in 2017/18 – a 48% rise. For victims under the age of 13, there was a steeper rise with 369 in 2021/22 and 226 in 2017/18.
Data* from 41 UK police forces across the UK show an 84% rise in these crimes since 2017/18, with a total of more than 27,000 offences in the past five years.
The NSPCC says the sheer scale of offending shows the vital importance of ensuring that the Online Safety Bill effectively tackles child sexual abuse and has practical suggestions for how this is best done.
This should include giving the regulator, Ofcom, the powers to proactively tackle abuse in private messaging, making platforms work together to stop grooming pathways and stopping offenders from using social networks to organise abuse.
One 15-year-old girl who was groomed on multiple sites told Childline: “I’ve been chatting with this guy online who’s like twice my age. This all started on Instagram but lately all our chats have been on WhatsApp.
“He seemed really nice to begin with, but then he started making me do these things to ‘prove my trust’ to him, like doing video chats with my chest exposed. Every time I did these things for him, he would ask for more and I felt like it was too late to back out.
“This whole thing has been slowly destroying me and I’ve been having thoughts of hurting myself.”
Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said:“Online grooming is taking place at unprecedented levels and only concerted action will turn the tide on this tsunami of preventable abuse.
“The crucial Online Safety Bill is the opportunity to deliver the legislative change we urgently need to address head on these preventable crimes against children.
“We strongly welcome the Government’s ambition to deliver world-leading legislation. But as it seems increasingly clear that the pandemic has resulted in a long-term increase in the abuse threat, the current proposals must go further now to tackle online sexual violence and prevent avoidable abuse.”
The charity is asking the public to email their MP to support amendments to the legislation that aim to improve its response to child sexual abuse.
The NSPCC has set out a five-point action plan for the Online Safety Bill to systemically prevent avoidable child sexual abuse.
Give the regulator powers to proactively tackle abuse in private messaging
Two thirds of child abuse is currently found in private messaging so the NSPCC welcomes that it will be in scope of the Bill.
But the charity wants Ofcom to be given power to proactively require firms to use technology to detect and disrupt grooming and the sharing of child abuse images.
Make platforms work together to tackle grooming pathways
The NSPCC knows grooming doesn’t just happen on one site and offenders use well known grooming pathways to target children.
Companies should have a clear legal duty to address cross platform harm and legally co-operate with each other to disrupt grooming.
Stop offenders from using social networks to organise abuse – breadcrumbing
Offenders perfectly legally use social media to form networks, then advertise a sexual interest in children and signpost to illegal child abuse content hosted on third party sites.
The NSPCC wants the Bill amended to combat the waysoffenders facilitate abuse on social media, which it says could prevent millions of interactions with accounts that contribute to grooming.
Adopt a Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice
A children’s watchdog that represents children’s needs
Children make up one in five UK internet users but are inherently vulnerable, according to the NSPCC. The charity said the Online Safety Bill can achieve its ambition to give children a higher standard of protection by creating a statutory watchdog to promote children’s interests, funded by a levy on the tech industry.
This user advocacy body would ensure child protection is front and centre of regulation, prevent harm by acting as an early warning system to flag emerging risks and call for swift action. This would be similar to the role played by Citizens Advice in the energy and postal sectors.
Police are appealing to the public to help identify a man whose body was discovered within water at Lochan Na Craoibhe, Glencoe, around 6.30pm on Wednesday (29 June 2022).
He is described as a white male, aged between 40-60 years-old with dark hair.
When he was found, he was wearing a Regatta blue lightweight waterproof jacket, size XL, a Pep&Co purple/mauve t-shirt with a graphic of palm trees, size XXL and black Gelert walking boots, size 10.
A post mortem examination will be carried out to establish the exact cause of death and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.
Detective Sergeant Louise Thewlis, of Aviemore Police Office, said: “Extensive police enquiries are continuing to identify this man. Despite our investigations, we have not been able to establish who he is, and we are appealing to the public for any assistance so we can notify his next-of-kin.
“I would urge anyone who recognises his description to please come forward.
“I’m also appealing for witnesses who may have been in the local area in the past week.
“Alternatively, if you have concerns about a male family member or friend who matches this description, and has not been in contact, then please let us know.”
Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting reference number 2817 of Wednesday, 29 June, 2022.
An award-winning campaign to tackle underage drinking and youth disorder has been launched across Scotland.
The “It’ll Cost You!” programme is a collaboration between Police Scotland, local authorities and alcohol producers and retailers and aims to raise awareness of the damaging effects and criminal nature of buying alcohol for under 18s.
Following a series of successful pilots by the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership across Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and Glasgow, results consistently showed a drop in street drinking and anti-social behaviour.
Asking an adult to buy alcohol for under 18s is one of the most common tactics used by young people to access alcohol. The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 states that it is an offence for a person to “act as an agent for a child in purchasing or attempting to purchase alcohol”. This is also known as proxy purchase.
Police Scotland analysts report that youth disorder incidents reduced by 10% in the North Lanarkshire pilot. The campaign also contributed to a 51% reduction of reports of children drinking on the street.
In addition to 38 adults being reported for buying alcohol for children, the campaign also led to two stores being reported for repeatedly selling alcohol to under 18s.
Adults who buy alcohol for children may face a fine of up to £5,000. Depending on the circumstances you could also face a prison sentence of up to three months and a criminal record
Superintendent Hilary Sloan, Police Scotland, said: “This campaign highlights the multitude of issues which can be caused through underage drinking and by buying alcohol for teens.
“We want to help keep our young people safe from alcohol-related harm, as well as reducing anti-social behaviour and crime in our communities. Additionally, proxy purchasing is an offence, which could result in a prison sentence.
“The lighter evenings of the summer will see an increase in police patrols around Scotland to reduce attempted purchases of alcohol for under 18s.”
Dr John Lee, Chair of the SAIP Campaigns Group and Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Scottish Grocers Federation said:“The success of initiatives such as Challenge 25 have helped reduce the number of direct sales of alcohol to under 18s, but young people are increasingly accessing alcohol by other means.
“Asking an adult to buy alcohol for them is one of the most common tactics used.”
Minister for Community Safety Ash Regan said:“A key objective of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 is the protection of children and young persons from harm. We remain committed to protecting young persons and children from harm.
“Young persons are particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, whether they are drinking themselves, or being affected by the drinking of other people in their lives. Underage drinking can also cause short and long term harm to health, as well as put young persons in dangerous situations when drunk.
“That is why I welcome the “It’ll Cost You” Campaign to help create safer communities for us all. The results of pilot initiatives, which the Scottish Government supported, show what can be achieved through strong collaboration and partnership working at a community level.”
Gavin Randall, Retail Operations Director, Scotmid said: “As a responsible retailer, Scotmid is delighted to support the ‘It’ll Cost You’ proxy purchase campaign.
“Reducing underage drinking and anti-social behaviour linked to alcohol, fits in perfectly with Scotmid’s core purpose ‘to serve our communities and improve peoples’ everyday lives.”
Graham Clarke, Community Alcohol Partnership Coordinator said:“Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP) is delighted to be supporting the “It’ll Cost You” campaign.
“Proxy purchase continues to be a challenge across Scotland and the campaign will highlight the dangers and penalties that can result from adults buying alcohol for young people.
“As part of the campaign, CAP will use the “It’ll Cost You” messaging and resources to support our ongoing work within local partnerships in Scotland toreduce alcohol harm among young people, improve their health and wellbeing and enhance their communities.”
Road Policing officers in Edinburgh can confirm that a 21-year-old man has died following a hit-and-run incident in Leith.
The incident involved a car and a pedestrian, and took place in Easter Road around 2.40am on Sunday, 19 June, 2022.
The pedestrian was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at the time, but has since passed away. His family have asked for privacy at this time.
A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident and further enquiries remain ongoing.
Sergeant Paul Ewing, from the Edinburgh Road Policing team, said: “At this time, our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of the deceased.
“We are continuing our enquiries into the incident and would ask anyone who was in the area at the time and may have information to come forward. We’re also particularly keen to speak with two females who were seen near to an ATM at the bottom of Easter Road, around 2.30am.
“If you believe you can assist our enquiries, please call police on 101, quoting incident 0590 of Sunday, 19 June, 2022.”
