Police confiscate 191 litres of booze in under-age blitz

MORE than 190 litres of alcohol were seized from under-age drinkers in the Capital as part of a £60,000 festive public safety blitz.

Police and council officers patrolled the city centre throughout December, focusing on the Winter Wonderland attraction in Princes Street Gardens.

The crackdown - the first of its kind in Edinburgh - was intended to reduce alcohol-related youth disorder and increase the public's sense of safety.

A total of 90 youths were stopped and 191 litres of alcohol seized. In one weekend alone - December 16 and 17 - police stopped 41 youths and seized 46 litres of alcohol.

Six people were found with drugs and searches for weapons were carried out over the four weekends, although none were found.

The total alcohol haul included 18 litres of vodka, 30 litres and 47 bottles of beer, 39 bottles of cider, eight bottles of Buckfast, one litre of fortified wine, three bottles of wine and 72 litres of mixed drinks.

Today, councillors and police in charge of the joint operation hailed the Safer City Centre Winter Initiative a success and vowed to continue their partnership.

Operation Abseil saw police and Lothian Regional Transport route managers checking buses entering the city centre at main arterial routes, such as Elm Row and St Patrick's Square, looking for youths carrying alcohol.

Police officers also patrolled pubs and nightclubs with sniffer dogs and hand-held metal detectors searching for yobs carrying drugs or weapons.

And Licensing Standards officers visited clubs and off-sales outlets, resulting in one premises being investigated by police for selling alcohol to a 16-year-old.

One person was charged for buying alcohol for a group of 15-year-olds.

Officers also raided an unlicensed hot food vendor and seized thousands of potentially harmful burgers and sausages.

Acting on a police tip-off, environment wardens investigated the trader and found 2500 meat products completely or partially defrosted and judged to be a danger to public health.

CCTV footage was used to direct police officers on the ground and can also be produced as evidence in court.

Councillor Sheila Gilmore, the city's community safety leader, said: "It was particularly important to be able to put in this additional and targeted resource at this time of year when there was so much going on in the city centre.

"We wanted people to enjoy themselves in safety, but it doesn't all stop now because the holiday season is over.

"The partnership - with the police, the additional 18 council-funded police officers, the CCTV units and our Licensing Standards officers - is still working hard to keep the city centre a safe place."

Chief Inspector Willie Wills, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "Our main aim was to ensure that revellers in the city centre could enjoy the festive season without fear of abuse or antisocial behaviour.

"I think the results speak for themselves and the initiative has been a fine example of partnership working."