Violin recovered by police

Lothian and Borders Police have recovered a custom-made violin following its theft within the Capital.

Police were contacted at around 11pm last Thursday  after the owner reported the instrument had been stolen from the Carrubbers Christian Centre on the High Street during a Festival performance.

Search and Recovery Team officers conducted enquiries with local pre-owned goods retailers and were alerted the following day by staff at the Cash Converters store on Leith Walk who had taken possession of the violin.

The unique Zeta 5-string Electric, which was designed and crafted in California is valued at nearly £3000 and has now been returned to its owner.
Officers are now following a positive line of enquiry to trace the individual responsible for the theft.

A Police spokesperson said: “The owner of the violin is a musician who has been performing at the Festival and was left devastated when his custom-made instrument was stolen.

“Thanks to the excellent relationship the Search and Recovery Team has established with Edinburgh retailers, we were quickly made aware when the violin showed up and are now pursuing the suspect. The musician is delighted to have been reunited with the instrument and I would like to thank the staff at the store for all their assistance.

“Lothian and Borders Police will continue to work alongside pawnbrokers and other second hand retail stores to identify those responsible for selling on stolen goods and bring them to justice.”

Andrew Inglis, store manager at Cash Converters on Leith Walk, Edinburgh said: “I am proud that our staff were able to conduct a thorough investigation into the item that the customer was trying to sell, and as a result alert the police. We have not only shared the seized item with the force but also passed over our CCTV footage of the customer.

“We have a strong working relationship with the local police, our in store computer systems log all serial numbers of goods being sold to us and alerts all staff to any potentially suspicious items which we then share with the police. Aside from this robust relationship, we have in place a strictly enforced stolen goods policy, which means that anyone looking to sell an item will need to present two forms of ID, have their photograph taken, sign an agreement to confirm they are the legal owner of the goods and be prepared for us to share their details with the police.

“We certainly do not want stolen property brought into our stores and we are pleased to be working with Lothian and Borders Police to deter criminals from trying to pass on stolen goods.”