Ten men have been arrested as part of an ongoing police operation to target housebreakers in the Lothians and Scottish Borders.
As a result of extensive inquiries carried out over several months, uniformed officers as well as CID detectives and officers from the Community Investigation Unit, traced the individuals at several addresses in East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian on Wednesday, November 2nd, as part of Operation Bistra.
The men were subsequently charged in relation to 15 offences, including theft, theft by housebreaking and theft of motor vehicles, which had been reported to police between December 2015 and September this year. The combined cost of these crimes is estimated at more than £100,000.
The men have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal and are expected to appear in court at a later date.
Chief Inspector Kenny Simpson, Area Commander for Midlothian, said: “This is a fantastic result, which shows offenders and the community alike, that crimes of this nature will not be tolerated.
“Information from the communities played a significant part in these arrests and I would urge residents to please continue this.
“Housebreakings can have a devastating impact on victims and I can reassure communities throughout the Lothians and Scottish Borders that housebreaking is a priority for us and we will continue to provide dedicated resources to assist officers to swiftly trace those responsible.
“I would urge members of the community to ensure that homes and businesses are always appropriately secured and that high value items are hidden from view.”
Further crime prevention advice is available by visiting the Police Scotland website at the following address: www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/home-and-personal-property/secure-your-home
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.
