Edinburgh city centre gets extra weekend police

More police will be present on the streets of the capital. Picture: TSPL

The extra officers will work in the city centre on weekend nights to prevent disorder and deal with alcohol-related incidents, Police Scotland said.

Changes are being introduced to policing in the city following a review of operations last year and community feedback.

A shake-up of the shift patterns worked by the division’s 725 officers will see extra numbers move into local policing and patrol streets on foot.

Divisional commander Chief Superintendent Mark Williams said: “This is an important and progressive change for Edinburgh division, and is something which communities across the city will immediately see the benefits of.

“160 officers added to community policing teams means extra officers out where the public want to see them - on foot patrol in local streets responding to their concerns and available to speak to them.

“The changes made to officers’ shift patterns also mean that there will be more officers visible in the streets and available to deal with incidents at the busiest times between 2pm and midnight throughout the week, and we will also be able to provide additional officers to work in the city centre during the weekends to deal with disorder associated with the night-time economy.

“The introduction of a new appointment system will also allow us to deliver a far more responsive and efficient service by ensuring that we can attend to take a non-urgent report from a member of the public at a time that is convenient and suitable to them.

“This has always been a frustration for local people and by changing our working arrangements we can now ensure that the public will know exactly when we will visit them.”