SAFETY measures carried out by police in Edinburgh over the weekend have received a negative response from locals.
Police Scotland shared details of its latest activities to social media on Saturday.
Officers carried out patrols on local streets and roadside breath tests and engaged with Lothian Buses to deter antisocial behaviour on its services.
However, some disgruntled locals believe the force should be approaching the issues differently or focusing its attention elsewhere.
Its initial post focused on uniformed patrols on local buses in the South-east of the capital.
It comes after a spate of anti-social behaviour incidents affecting services in and around the city in the past few months, with Lothian forced to divert or withdraw services at short notice.
Buses serving Niddrie, part of the area covered by the patrols, were particularly impacted by incidents on Halloween and Bonfire Night, and saw services temporarily withdrawn.
In an image, a uniformed officer can be seen standing at the front of a bus as part of a “proactive patrol”.
A second post from later in the day covered activities in the North-east of the city.
Five breath tests were carried out as part of a festive campaign to reduce drink-driving, and officers were seen patrolling the streets of Leith, Craigmillar and Portobello.
Further engagement with Lothian Buses also took place.
Despite the force’s intentions of keeping the city safe, the response from locals has been less than positive.
The posts have received over 60 comments, many of them critical of what it has chosen to focus on.
One wrote: “Concentrate on turning up to crimes. Not a joy ride on a bus or a walk round the Christmas market. Waste of resources.”
A second said: “Put officers without uniform on the buses, when the idiots start to do antisocial behaviour show the badge and arrest or report them.
“The city will be clean in a couple of months.
“No sense wasting men and money in this way, the little idiots don’t do anything while the police are around and cops can’t be busy forever following this, brainless.”
Another agreed: “Just a thought but would it not be better plain clothes [than] the yellow jacket with Police on the back, [it] is [a] bit of a giveaway.
“They may be neds (sic) but they are not that stupid.”
A fourth commented: “How about dealing with these hooded groups that are running around on electric bikes [and] thieving?”
Another added: “Correct. The ones zooming along Princes Street surely can’t have gone unnoticed. Wheelies all along the street. In and out of trams and buses.
“As all buses and trams have cameras it shouldn’t need Sherlock Holmes to work out who they are.”
