We had a chat with Inspector Bob Innes of Police Scotland about the recent trouble at Westside Plaza.
Inspector Innes said that Police Scotland realise there are concerns amongst the community over the large groups of young people at the Plaza. He said that though it may be intimidating, they are entitled to gather as long as they are not breaking any laws. However, he added that Police Scotland are increasing the amount of dedicated patrols at the Plaza during the Easter holidays.
The inspector added that when there is trouble, the police use a joint approach where they work with partners in the Council to identify and work with specific people. He commented that this approach has been very successful and that the amount of youth crime in the area has decreased.
When asked about vandalism causing Lothian Buses to not stop at the Plaza earlier in the week, he said that this was a short-term situation, where the buses withdrew their service briefly until the Police could arrive in the area and that it should not be an ongoing problem.
Finally he said that the public should contact 101 to report any crimes, as if they can get their early they can prevent something serious from happening, and dial 999 in case of an emergency.