100th shop joins crime clampdown

A SCHEME set up to crack down on city centre shoplifters has attracted its 100th member.

The Checkout scheme – which allows shops to share information about shoplifters using modern communications – was launched at the end of November and the 100 shops that have signed up is double the target that had been set for the first six months.

Essential Edinburgh – the company set up to manage the main city centre blocks between Princes Street and Queen Street – is running the scheme with the police.

Tom Campbell, chief executive of Essential Edinburgh, said: "It is fantastic that so many of our stakeholders are taking advantage of an excellent project.

"Making the city centre safer and more secure and tackling antisocial behaviour are key parts of what we do."

Chief Inspector Kevin Murray, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "This is evidence that the existing relationship between the two organisations is a very real and practical partnership, capable of making a sustainable difference to safety, security, and overall crime levels."