Police in Edinburgh and their partner agencies are carrying out a month-long campaign to make communities safer and improve the quality of life for members of the public in Pentlands area.
As part of Police Scotland’s commitment to keeping people safe, local officers in Wester Hailes will be conducting targeted action across the area as part of the on-going Operation Cipher.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and City of Edinburgh Council will support activities aimed at deterring crime, identifying local offenders and engaging with the public.
Partner agencies will also work within the area to address utilities and facilities in need of repair.
The first week of the Operation Cipher action begins in the Dumbryden Gardens and Longstone Street areas on Monday 11th November.
Police will mark the beginning of the initiative by hosting a mobile surgery in these streets.
During this time, officers will discuss community policing matters with the public and offer advice and guidance on a range of crime prevention issues.
Further activity across the week will include high-visibility foot patrols, leaflet drops promoting the Police Scotland “Made From Crime” campaign and executing arrests for those currently with an outstanding warrant.
Throughout this phase of Operation Cipher, all agencies involved will tweet about the actions being undertaken to benefit the local communities.
The public can keep up to date with the progress of the operation by following:
* @PentlandsPolice
* @SouthWest_Neighbourhood
* @Scotfire_east and @Scotfire_Edin
Followers on Twitter can also join the discussion using #Cipher.
Inspector Stevie Dolan said: “Police Scotland is committed to keeping people safe and we are looking forward to once again working with our partners to identify and address the issues affecting the Pentland communities.
“During this phase of Cipher we are carrying out numerous activities, which we hope will make the area safer, cleaner and stronger and are keen to engage with the public throughout the month.
“We are keen to hear from the public about how Operation Cipher can improve their community, and would urge anyone wishing to raise a local issue to come to one of our engagement opportunities in the coming weeks or get in touch via twitter using #Cipher.”
Community Safety leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Cammy Day, said: “Joint initiatives like Operation Cipher have been hugely successful in other parts of the city and I am sure that this one will be of great benefit to Wester Hailes. It is a great opportunity for our Community safety teams and partner organisations to get feedback from the local community so that we can use to tackle serious issues such as anti-social behaviour.
“I would urge residents to come forward if they have any information that might be helpful as this can make all the difference in making neighbourhoods safer, better places to live.”
Crew Manager Bruce Nisbet from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said “Partnership working is key to making the Community we serve a safer place for all who live, work and travel within it and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are proud to be a partner agency in Operation Cipher. As part of this phase of the operation the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will be seeking to identify improvements which will aid the operational response to an incident, particularly the ability to access streets within housing developments. It is vital for the emergency services to reach those who are in in urgent need of help as soon as possible, whether that be for a fire, medical emergency or an incident which requires the response from the Police and a delay in attending an incident due to poorly parked cars is unacceptable.
“As part of our commitment to building a safer Scotland we offer everyone in Scotland a free home fire safety visit. We can also fit smoke alarms free of charge if your home requires them. You can get in touch via the following options:
Visit our website http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/your-safety/for-householders/home-fire-safety-visit.aspx or call 0800 0731 999 text “Check” to 61611 from your mobile phone.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
