During the recent council election campaign, we said that tackling the issue of motorbike crime and joyriding through Silverknowes, Davidson’s Mains and Muirhouse would be amongst our top priorities.
We have been working with the local police since we elected as new local councillors. This has been important as anti-social behaviour including the use of stolen motorcycles tends to get worse over the lighter summer months.
Earlier today and in partnership with the Council, the local police in north Edinburgh launched a new “Stronger North” initiative. This should provide a better and more organised approach to tackle youth disorder, anti-social behaviour and crime in north west of Edinburgh.
We are pleased to say this initiative will also bring extra resources, including additional officers. We have been promised they will provide a very visible presence within the area and robustly tackle any criminality. Additional support such as road policing, specialist crime resources, police dog handlers and the Police Scotland helicopter will also be available.
As councillors, we have seen a real determination from the police to try and tackle these issues which are caused by a small number of people but have caused real distress in the local area. We hope these extra resources as well as the ongoing support and assistance from the community will make a real difference.
Remember, if you want to report crime in your area, you can do so by speaking to police in complete confidentiality, or by phoning Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.