Chief Inspector Scott Kennedy said: “The earlier disturbance in the Calder area of Edinburgh is now contained and there is not believed to be any wider risk to the public.
“The incident is not being treated as terror related.
“Officers were called to reports of a man with a bladed weapon on Calder Gardens around 8.25am.
“Specialist resources, including firearms officers, are in attendance at a property nearby and enquiries are ongoing.
“Two people were injured and taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.
“I understand this is an alarming incident for the local community. I want to reassure the public, officers will remain in the area as our enquiries continue. Anyone with information or concerns can approach these officers or call us on 101.”
More than half a billion in funding committed this week to upgrade Britain’s Typhoons – including advanced radar upgrades – securing over 1,500 UK jobs.
Defence Secretary John Healey visits Leonardo UK in Edinburgh, where hundreds of millions will be invested in cutting-edge radars manufactured in Scotland.
Investment delivers on Strategic Defence Review commitment to continue upgrading Typhoon as the backbone of Britain’s air defence.
More than 1,500 skilled jobs across the UK will be sustained into the next decade as the government commits over half a billion pounds this week to strengthen and upgrade the RAF’s Typhoon fighter jet fleet, showing how defence is an engine for growth.
Defence Secretary John Healey will visit Leonardo UK’s Edinburgh site to confirm the award of a £453 million contract to UK industry for the manufacture of state-of-the-art Typhoon radar systems, and which will secure hundreds of highly skilled jobs in Scotland over the next decade and up to 1,300 jobs across the UK.
Under the new contract, BAE Systems, Leonardo UK and Parker Meggitt will equip Royal Air Force Typhoons with the new radar systems over the coming years. In addition to the 300 skilled roles in Edinburgh, the work secures 120 jobs in Lancashire and more than 100 in Luton. The full Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs across 330 UK companies.
The radar investment follows a £205 million contract announced earlier this week for the long-term provision of specialist Typhoon engineering support by QinetiQ (sustaining up to 250 UK jobs) to help upgrade the Typhoon weapon system and keep the aircraft safe and airworthy for years to come.
This week’s combined investment of over £650 million demonstrates how defence is as an engine for growth, creating good jobs and growing businesses while strengthening national security. Apprentices and workers in Scotland will benefit from the contract, with more than half of Leonardo UK’s almost 3,000 Edinburgh employees working in highly skilled professions, such as hardware, software, electronics and systems engineering.
The UK is committed to the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “Our Typhoon fleet is the backbone of UK and NATO air defence, operated across Europe by the Royal Air Force and our allies to protect our skies and security.
As the threats we face increase, and as Russian drones continue to strike Ukraine and violate NATO airspace, this cutting-edge radar capability will keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad for many years to come.
“In Edinburgh and across the UK, we’re backing more than 20,000 skilled workers on the Typhoon programme who ensure our RAF remains ready to protect Britain. Our government has backed their high-skilled work with more than £650 million of investment this week alone, securing British jobs and making defence an engine for growth in Scotland and beyond.
“This massive workforce will be sustained for years following the biggest fighter jet exports deal in a generation, worth £8 billion which we secured with Türkiye in October.”
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “This £453 million contract award to build state-of-the-art radar systems for Typhoon fighter jets shows just how vital Scottish expertise is to the UK’s national security and why Scotland is globally recognised as a centre of defence excellence.
“This upgrade to the RAF fleet – sustaining 300 jobs at Leonardo in Edinburgh and many more in the supply chain – is the latest in an impressive line of defence dividend wins for Scotland.
UK Government defence spending in Scotland keeps the nation safe and creates jobs.
📽️Scottish Secretary @D_G_Alexander visited @Leonardo_UK in Edinburgh as half a billion was announced to upgrade RAF Typhoons, securing 1,500 UK jobs and backing the UK defence industry. pic.twitter.com/p7H0HiXr3I
“The UK Government is transforming our defence sector into an even more powerful engine for growth because when we back our service personnel and Scottish industry, we keep ourselves and our allies secure whilst delivering skilled jobs and growth for communities and workers.”
The investment will deliver an additional 40 advanced European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 radars for RAF Typhoons, including 38 new systems and modifications to two test systems, ensuring radars will be fitted to 40 aircraft. These radars will simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground.
The ECRS Mk2 radar will ensure the RAF maintains its operational advantage in contested environments. It provides high-powered jamming capability whilst engaging targets beyond the reach of threats.
Typhoon remains the backbone of UK combat air capability and will continue protecting British skies until at least the 2040s. Continuing to upgrade Typhoons was a commitment in the Strategic Defence Review, forming part of the next-generation Royal Air Force.
The announcement supports the government’s Plan for Change by investing in working people through high-value employment whilst strengthening national security.
Mark Hamilton, Managing Director Electronics UK, Leonardo, said: “ECRS Mk2 isn’t just an exceptional radar – it’s equipped with advanced electronic surveillance and electronic attack capabilities which will make RAF’s Typhoons more potent against their adversaries, adapting to new and unpredictable threats.
“This contract secures 300 highly skilled jobs at Leonardo’s Edinburgh site, and 100 at our Luton site. As well as supporting over 71 UK-based suppliers, we hope ECRS Mk2 will see wider adoption by other Typhoon export users given its advanced capabilities against current and future threats.”
Richard Hamilton, BAE Systems Managing Director – Europe & International said: “The Typhoon programme is a fundamental pillar of the UK’s national defence and security.
“Operating at the heart of NATO operations, Typhoon aircraft provide air policing along Europe’s eastern flank. The continued investment in Typhoon capability is crucial and ensures we’re able to maximise the UK’s investment in the aircraft and accelerate combat air technologies critical for defence capabilities.”
A Bronze Age hoard discovered in Carnoustie has been acquired by National Museums Scotland and will go on display for the first time in a new exhibition opening next summer.
The hoard includes a rare spearhead decorated with gold and a bronze sword in a wooden scabbard, dating from around 1120-920 BC. Scotland’s First Warriors (27 Jun 2026 – 17 May 2027) will bring together over 250 objects spanning thousands of years, to explore the origins and impact of conflict and warfare in prehistoric Scotland.
The spearhead has an intricately decorated gold-bound socket, one of only two such examples known from Scotland. It was discovered alongside a bronze sword with an unusual lead-tin pommel, still sheathed in the remains of a wooden scabbard.
The sword was carefully wrapped in a woven wool garment, fastened with a disc-headed pin; the spearhead blade was wrapped in sheepskin, and the socket was wrapped in a fine woollen cloth.
The weapons hint at the existence of a localised warrior elite in the Angus area over 3,000 years ago.
The hoard was deliberately and thoughtfully placed near a Bronze Age round structure. This is the only Bronze Age weapon hoard from Scotland to be found within a clearly defined settlement, offering a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between these treasured objects and the lives of the people who crafted and used them.
The survival of prehistoric textiles and organic material is also extremely rare and reveals an extra layer of the care and attention that went into the formation of the hoard.
Dr Matthew Knight, Senior Curator of Prehistory at National Museums Scotland, said: “The Carnoustie Hoard is a remarkable discovery. This is the first time we’ve encountered weapons buried at a settlement where people lived. It forces us to reconsider relationships between people and these objects and enriches our picture of life in Bronze Age Scotland.
“On top of that we have the exceptional survival of wood, textiles and animal skin that express how much these objects were valued. After hours of painstaking conservation, I can’t wait to for visitors to see the hoard for the first time in our new exhibition Scotland’s First Warriors.”
Alongside the Carnoustie Hoard, Scotland’s First Warriors will include never-before-seen internationally significant archaeological discoveries from across Scotland.
From the Neolithic (late Stone Age) to the coming of the Romans, the exhibition will present the origins of organised conflict.
It will explore how people fought, the motivations for fighting, the brutal impact of war on people’s lives and the long-lasting legacy of prehistoric conflict.
The hoard was unearthed in 2016 by GUARD Archaeology near Carnoustie, in an area that was due to be developed into two football pitches.
The full assemblage of archaeological finds from site represents a nationally significant group of objects spanning nearly 3000 years from the early Neolithic to the late Bronze Age.
Scotland’s First Warriors
27th June 2026 – 17th May 2027 National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
A further three men have been arrested in connection with Operation Portaledge, the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.
These arrests bring the total so far to 47.
On Monday, 16 June, 2025, officers arrested and charged two men, aged 26 and 20, in connection with the attempted murder of a 54-year-old man on Pitcairn Grove in Edinburgh on Thursday, 22 May.
They were due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 17 June.
A 26-year-old man was arrested in connection with outstanding warrants after officers attended at a property in the Muirhouse Drive area around 6pm on Sunday, 15 June. He was also charged in connection with a wilful fire at a premises in Albert Street in Edinburgh on Thursday, 6 March.
He was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 16 June.
Officers from local divisions and a dedicated team of officers from our Specialist Crime Division, continue to carry out extensive enquiries to gather vital evidence and reassure the public with intelligence-led patrols.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “Further to these arrests, we have also recovered a vehicle and a firearm, both of which are believed to have been used in recent incidents.
“This activity highlights our continued commitment to tackling organised crime and we are following a number of positive lines of enquiry.
“We still require further support from local communities as our investigation progresses. If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Investigation into violent crime incidents continues
POLICE officers carrying out enquiries in the Roseburn Path area of Edinburgh have recovered a firearm.
The weapon was found around 11am yesterday – Wednesday, 11 June – as part of Operation Portaledge, the ongoing investigation into violent incidents in the East and West of the country.
Detective Chief Superintendent David Ferry, Specialist Crime Division, said: “A number of weapons have now been recovered as part of this operation.
“I hope this latest find helps to reassure the community of our continued resolve to target organised crime.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing and I urge anyone who knows something that could assist with our investigation to please contact to us.
“Anyone with information relating to these incidents should speak to Police Scotland on 101 or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Zombie-style knives and machetes will be outlawed under legislation laid today. A surrender and compensation scheme will launch in the summer
Dangerous zombie-style knives and machetes will be banned under new legislation to take these weapons off our streets and keep young people safe.
Under the measures, first announced by the Prime Minister last year and laid before Parliament yestrday, it will be illegal to possess, sell, manufacture or transport these zombie-style knives and machetes.
The government is urging anyone with one of these dangerous weapons to voluntarily hand it into a knife surrender bin, before the official surrender and compensation scheme is launched in the summer.
This will get these knives off our streets as soon as possible, while giving people in possession an opportunity to hand them in without legal implications. The full ban will come into in force in September, after which anyone in possession of one of these knives may face time behind bars.
During this time, the government will work with police, communities and partners to ensure there is public awareness of the surrender scheme, which have been implemented in the past to accompany knife bans.
This is just one part of a package of measures being introduced by the government to strengthen existing knife crime laws, which are already among the toughest in the world. It is illegal to carry any knife in public without good purpose, carrying a sentence of 4 years in prison, and, in 2016, the government banned zombie knives, whilst cyclone knives were banned in 2019.
Since 2019, police have taken 120,000 knives off our streets through stop and search and other targeted police action. Knife crime has gone down 5% since 2019 and hospital admissions for under 25s involved in stabbings has fallen by 25%. Violent crime is also down 51% since 2010.
Building on this record, the Criminal Justice Bill will go further by increasing the maximum sentence for the possession of banned weapons from 6 months to 2 years, while anyone caught selling knives to under-18s, including online, will also face 2 years behind bars.
Police will also be given new powers to seize and destroy knives found on private premises if there are reasonable grounds to suspect the blade will be used in a serious crime. Previously, police could not seize knives found during a search on a property, even if they had suspicions of criminal use.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “Knife crime continues to take precious lives away, and I am determined to put an end to this senseless violence.
“We must stop these dangerous knives ending up on our streets and in the hands of criminals. We cannot let them be sold to children, and we must give young people a way out of violence.
“That is why I have expedited the ban on zombie-style machetes and we are increasing the maximum sentence for selling knives to under 18s. We will continue to invest in youth services that have prevented thousands of violent injuries.”
Zombie-style knives are just as dangerous as traditional zombie knives, however, they do not have the same distinct images or threatening wording that incites violence.
The police have identified that zombie-style knives are increasingly used in criminality, emerging on the back of the 2016 ban when some retailers exploited this loophole to keep selling these dangerous weapons but evade the law. The measures being introduced today will put an end to this technicality.
In line with previous knife bans, a surrender and compensation scheme will be introduced from the 26 August, and further guidance on how this will operate will be published in June.
Steel Warriors Head of Operations Christian d’Ippolito said: “Steel Warriors welcome the steps being taken by the government to strengthen its tough knife crime laws to keep dangerous knives off our streets. Weapons like these should not be available to young people, they have no place in modern society and should not be glorified.
“At Steel Warriors we believe that lives should be built by steel, not destroyed by it. We melt down confiscated knives and recycle them into outdoor gyms, we then provide free community classes to transform the lives of young people affected by crime, violence and social exclusion, giving them the confidence they need to create positive futures.”
During a visit to Kent Police yesterday, the Home Secretary saw first-hand how Home Office-funded youth violence prevention projects are helping steer young people away from violent crime.
Recent independent evaluation has shown that the government’s Violence Reduction Units, in combination with hotspot policing patrols, have prevented an estimated 3,220 hospital admissions for violent injury since 2019 in areas where the programme operates.
The Home Secretary also met with Yemi Hughes, the mother of a knife crime victim, Idris Elba and members of his ‘Don’t Stop Your Future’ campaign to discuss action being taken on serious violence and what more can be done to tackle the issue.
The legislation laid in Parliament will amend the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
