Musselburgh has almost half the number of police officers per head of population compared with the Scottish average, according to figures highlighted by the area’s MP.
Chris Murray, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, raised concerns in a Westminster Hall debate on antisocial behaviour, telling Parliament that police numbers in the town were “a disgrace”.
He said he receives almost daily emails from constituents reporting incidents of intimidation, harassment, supermarket theft and vandalism at restaurants.
Figures supplied by the Scottish Government show there were around 30 full-time equivalent police officers per 10,000 people across Scotland in May.
However, the figure for E Division, which covers Edinburgh, was 20.8, while J Division, which covers Musselburgh, had just 16.3 officers per 10,000 people – 45.6 per cent below the national average.
Mr Murray has written to Cabinet Secretary for Justice Neil Gray MSP and Minister for Victims and Community Safety Kirsten Oswald MSP since May, asking when Musselburgh would receive the same level of policing as the rest of the country.
He also requested a review of policing capacity across the two divisions, but said neither request had been accepted.
Speaking during the debate, Mr Murray said: “I have launched petitions, hosted coffee mornings, worked with the police and written countless letters to Scottish Ministers, yet precious little has been done. Our police do amazing work, but they are let down by the SNP.”
He added: “The SNP loves to make comparisons to England and Wales when it suits it, but the English average is 24 officers per 10,000 people; in Musselburgh it is only 16. It is inexplicable to me that the Scottish Government have had an extra £18 billion from this Labour Government, yet none of it has made its way to frontline policing. My constituents are paying the price.”
Mr Murray said tackling antisocial behaviour required more officers, adding: “Solving antisocial behaviour is not rocket science: we just need more police.”
During the same debate, he praised work by police and community organisations in Niddrie and Craigmillar, where Bonfire Night passed quietly following a joint operation to keep families safe.
He thanked PS Graeme Carolan and the local police team, officers who travelled from England to assist, and community representatives Jeannie Robertson-Frazier and Donna Ruth of Sandy’s Community Centre, Kirsty Haigh of Edinburgh Food Social, and Cheryl Neill and Suzanne Douglas of Places for People’s Hays community hub.
Mr Murray said: “For years, the story of Bonfire Night in Niddrie and Craigmillar has been one of disorder. In 2023, 62 officers were injured when fireworks were fired at the police. Heartbreakingly, fireworks also caused the death from stress of a baby red panda at Edinburgh zoo.
“After that, local people and the police decided that families should not have to be afraid on 5 November, and they launched an incredible operation.”
He added: “The good news in Niddrie is remarkable, because it is unusual.”
Following the debate, Mr Murray said Musselburgh also had community organisations working to tackle antisocial behaviour and support young people, including MUSSELS, the Sea Cadets and the Hollies Community Hub.
He said: “Musselburgh has community organisations doing brilliant work with young people and tackling antisocial behaviour: MUSSELS, the sea cadets, the Hollies Community Hub. They are doing their bit.
“What they are not getting is the police support from the SNP and the Scottish Government that they need. In Craigmillar, local people and the police worked together and bonfire night was largely quiet. That is what visible, active policing in partnership with a community can do.
“Yet the Scottish Police Federation chair has warned of an ‘almost invisible’ police presence. That is exactly what Musselburgh residents tell me about their High Street.
“Our officers do amazing work, but they need the numbers to do it. The Scottish Government must step up and deliver more police for Musselburgh and Edinburgh, and deliver what Craigmillar has shown is possible.”
