Police in Edinburgh have today introduced key changes to way they deliver policing within the Capital.
The changes have been made to create an integrated policing model that makes additional officers available to deal with demand at the busiest times and also provide more officers to work within Community Policing Teams on foot or cycle patrol in local communities.
This restructuring follows a detailed review of calls and incidents over the last year, coupled with feedback from recent community consultations on local policing plans.
In addition to increased resources at peak times for the division, the new working arrangements also ensure a significant overall increase in police visibility.
The key changes being made include:
Changes to the working shift patterns of 725 officers so that both community and emergency response teams can work together and respond more effectively to calls and incidents 24-7.
160 officers moved into local Community Policing Teams to be deployed on foot or on pedal cycle across the city.
Probationer constables being placed into Community Policing Teams to gain vital experience of working on foot patrol in local communities.
Additional officers working at night in the city centre at weekends to prevent disorder and deal with alcohol related incidents.
Edinburgh Division is also introducing an appointment system to ensure that on occasions where the police are unable to attend immediately to take a report of a minor crime, an appointment can be scheduled to ensure that officers visit the caller at a convenient time for them.
Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Williams, said: “This is an important and progressive change for Edinburgh Division and is something which communities across the city will immediately see the benefits of.
“160 officers added to Community Policing Teams means extra officers out where the public want to see them – on foot patrol in local streets responding to their concerns and available to speak to them.
“The changes made to officers’ shift patterns also mean that there will be more officers visible in the streets and available to deal with incidents at the busiest times between 2pm and midnight throughout the week and we will also be able to provide additional officers to work in the city centre during the weekends to deal with disorder associated with the night-time economy.
“The introduction of a new appointment system will also allow us to deliver a far more responsive and efficient service by ensuring that we can attend to take a non-urgent report from a member of the public at a time that is convenient and suitable to them.
“This has always been a frustration for local people and by changing our working arrangements we can now ensure that the public will know exactly when we will visit them.
“Police Scotland is committed to ‘Keeping People Safe’ and when I took on the role of Commander for Edinburgh Division I made a commitment to increasing police visibility across the city. I am confident that these changes will deliver that and also enhance the quality of service we are able to provide”.
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.
