Woman fights to feel safer

Bruce Gardens resident Chrissie-Anne Watt told Dalkeith Community Council her neighbours were “too frightened” to report crimes in their community. She said she would start a petition to “get something done because this has to stop” and called for CCTV cameras to be installed.

“We have elderly and vulnerable people who are too frightened to talk,” she said. “Incidents vary from grafﬁti to verbal abuse. Cars are being broken into, vandalised and in some cases burnt out. No-one is listening to us.”

Police inspector Michelle Ritchie said she was committed to ensuring that all residents in Midlothian felt safe and secure in their local community.

She added: “We know that antisocial behaviour can have a signiﬁcant impact on the lives of local people, and that the problem of antisocial behaviour is a complicated one, with no single quick-ﬁx solution.”