Plain-clothes police target youths after racist assault

Published on 23/03/2012 12:00

POLICE have put plain-clothes officers on the streets of Piershill in a move to quell antisocial behaviour by marauding youths.

The radical move follows a racist attack on a 12-year-old by up to ten girls on Sunday at Piershill Square East and a rising tide of complaints about youth disorder.

In the Evening News today, Sheila Gilmore, MP for Edinburgh East, described the attack as an “appalling act of violence” carried out against a young girl just “because of the colour of her skin”.

She said: “Together with residents across Edinburgh, I am disgusted at the violence and pain the girl and her family have suffered. Racism is not and will not be tolerated.”

A police spokesman said: “We have increased our presence in the area and we have deployed plain-clothes officers to deal with offenders.”