Mark Williams: Huge response from community

I’D like to start by addressing an incident you may have read about recently – the stabbing of Jack Yu in the West Pilton area last week. Our Major Investigation Team is leading the probe into this shocking and unprovoked attack on an innocent man.

At the time of going to print, three men have been charged with this crime and I would like to thank the community for their incredible response to the incident. Looking forward, I want to assure residents that Police Scotland will do all it can to address the issues of antisocial behaviour, vehicle crime and disorder that many residents have complained of, including using our Operation Wolf resources over the months ahead.

Two days ago in Wester Hailes my Operation Wolf team was targeting drug dealing and licensing issues. They stopped and searched 17 individuals, five of whom were found in possession of illegal items. One of them had over £600 worth of heroin and cannabis in his possession and he was charged with supplying drugs. They also arrested one male on a warrant and carried out 11 warrant checks.

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On to other things, and now that the Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh Festival, referendum and Ryder Cup are out of the way you would be forgiven for thinking things may have quietened down in the city. Nothing could be further from the truth and it has been a very busy few weeks across all of our communities.

Tens of thousands of new students have arrived in the city and started their studies and my officers have been working closely with the colleges and universities to advise them on personal safety. There is a lot of advice available online and all the details are on the Police Scotland website.

Reducing housebreaking remains a priority for my staff, and officers in the east of the city have been rolling out more packs of Smartwater to householders in the Duddingston area.

The initial pilot of the property marking system has had a fantastic impact in the Grange area, where housebreakings have dropped by 53 per cent since the launch. I am confident we will see similar great results in Duddingston over the months ahead.

Finally, as you will see from the variety of challenges and work I have referred to in this column, the job of being a police officer is a diverse, challenging and rewarding one.

Someone once said to me that being a cop “was a tough job but a great career”. I think that’s a fair assessment and for anyone who is interested in such a fantastic role please be aware that we are recruiting both full-time constables and special constables right now. If you have a broad experience of life, can communicate well and deal with all the job throws at you, why not consider it?

If you want to know more take a look at our website, www.scotland.police.uk/recruitment/