POLICE Scotland for South East Edinburgh have announced that their community teams plan to target acquisitive crime in the month of December with “Operation Southsider”.
Acquisitive crime includes acts such as housebreaking, theft, fraud and other crimes of dishonesty which account for over a third of all crime recorded in Scotland in the past year.
In the South East of Edinburgh, which is one of four area commands in the Edinburgh division, the community police team will work closely with Lothian Buses, patrol on foot in hotspot areas, and will carry out CCTV trawls, among other duties.
Crimes of dishonesty have increased by 7% compared to last year, with shoplifting being the most common.
This comes just one week after both the manager and owner of an Edinburgh toy shop were assaulted by shoplifters, and were left “bruised” and “shaken”.
Just yesterday morning, police were alerted to reports of shoplifting in a Co-op store on Dalry Road, rushing to the scene where a man was arrested and charged in connection with theft.
Police in South East Edinburgh have already been patrolling Lothian Bus routes in the area, after a number of incidents involving items being thrown at moving buses in Gilmerton and Liberton.
The area patrolled by the South East Community Police Team includes the City Centre, Liberton, Gilmerton, Meadows, Morningside, Southside and Newington.
As part of this new clampdown on theft, termed Operation Southsider, police may be patrolling in plain clothes and on bikes, as well as carrying out dedicated youth work to deter young people from shoplifting and stealing.
Shoplifting accounts for over a third of crimes of dishonesty committed, and has increased by 35% in the last year, though the overall volume of these crimes has decreased by 74% since 1991.
Police Scotland have carried out a number of assessments and surveys of local authorities, partners, and residents, to analyse the biggest threats facing each community.
From their data, that formed a foundation for their 2023-26 plan, they found that as well as tackling crimes of dishonesty, priorities also included addressing violence, reducing drug harm, dealing with disorder and antisocial behaviour, and making our roads safer.
A Morningside community forum posted to social media about Operation Southsider, saying: “This is the team covering our area. Hopefully we’ll see the impact.”
