Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement

 
 
Saturday, 6th September 2008

Premium Article !

Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button.

Options

Premium Article !

To read this article in full you must have registered and have a Premium Content Subscription with the Edinburgh Evening News site.

Subscribe

Registered Article !

To read this article in full you must be registered with the site.

Sign In
Register

Crackdown gets point across as clubbers reject blade culture



Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 30 April 2008
By ADRIAN MATHER
A HUGE police operation to search almost 6000 Edinburgh clubbers has been hailed a success – after it turned up no knives.
Police officers and nightclub staff carried out the searches across ten of the Capital's biggest nightspots over the weekend.

Hand-held metal detectors were used to search customers at the entrances of the clubs, which included Lava & Ignite, Es
pionage and the Liquid Room.

After searching 5812 clubbers between Friday and Sunday, they did not find a single knife.

Chief Inspector Kevin Murray, from the city's central policing team, said that the results showed that the force's crackdown against offensive weapons was working.

He said: "The clubs where we carried out searches are some of the biggest in Edinburgh and have hundreds, if not thousands, of people in them every night.

"We used hand-held metal detectors to check everyone as soon as they came through the doors, and searched anyone leaving the queues, but we were delighted that not a single knife was found.

"These clubs have strict policies in place and regularly carry out searches of their own, and these are acting as a deterrent.

"The message is clear that anyone carrying a knife into one of these establishments will be dealt with severely."

The crackdown was carried out in partnership with the Unight scheme – an initiative between 40 late night premises to ensure drug takers, thieves and violent customers who are thrown out are not allowed in to any other clubs.

However, despite the apparent success, senior officers warned that there was still more to do.

Superintendent Ram Mohayuddin, from the violence reduction for Edinburgh team, said: "To have more than 5800 searches and not have a single weapon found is very good news indeed.

"However, despite this, we know that there are still individuals in the city who carry knives. We will be stopping and searching anyone suspected of carrying a weapon and will be dealing with those who are found with them."

Robert Orr, general manager of Stereo, which took part in the operation, said: "We were very pleased by the results from the searches. It just goes to prove how safe the city is."

• www.lbp.police.uk





The full article contains 374 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 30 April 2008 11:45 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Knife culture
 
1

,

30/04/2008 12:30:43
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
2

S.E,

30/04/2008 12:37:52
Surely any tooled-up thug would see the que with the polis searching people at the door and know not to try to get in, go to a pub/club where there are no police conducting searches or just go straight on to Lothian Road to stab someone instead.
3

Raoul Duke,

30/04/2008 12:45:45
A complete waste of time then surely? Nightclubs are very safe places, "clubbers" are not out to cause trouble and never have been. The Polis are picking on the wrong folk, as 99.9% (100% in this 'crackdown') are going to a club with the sole intention of enjoying themselves.
4

The Judge,

30/04/2008 13:59:26
I wonder how many people were mugged and assaulted in the meadows whilst Superintendent Mohayuddin and his crime reduction team were searching people for non existent knifes in nightclub queues?
5

Dr Avoido,

Papa papa papa papa pa-pa-pa-pa papa papa papa pa! 30/04/2008 14:53:02
"I wonder how many people were mugged and assaulted in the meadows whilst Superintendent Mohayuddin and his crime reduction team were searching people for non existent knifes in nightclub queues?"

167.2

If I ruled the world I'd ensure the polis earned their corn and were put on scheme detail. There are now "no-go" areas that the polis will not stray into for fear of having to do their job. "Initiatives" such as this is a nice soft target and they might get some a few drug busts to put towards their next set of stripes.

So people that go to clubs are likely to be carrying knives - not in my experience. Why not put a big metal detector in Niddry?
6

Boy Wonder,

30/04/2008 15:05:08
People who wield knives rarely go dancing. They go drinking for as long as they can. And they're looking for trouble.

Looks like the cops wasted the time of 6000 clubbers.

Yet, if any one of us wasted police time ... we'd end up in court!
7

gotalottosay,

30/04/2008 16:06:24
well if i had a knife and joined a queue where i knew what was going on at the top end, where we i go, oh yes, make off into lothian road and wave it around ofcourse!!

i cannae make up my mind if this was a good exercise or not. so would it be that they took 10 officers off the streets at a weekend to attend to this leaving other areas, like my friends above mention, the meadows, un-policed.

well probably the superintendant or other big noise feels good about it all.
8

RT1874,

Edinburgh 30/04/2008 19:00:52
People who carry knives are the scurge of the earth - at the end of the day, they're carrying them for a purpose (and it's not on the off chance they'll need an apple peeled)!

Agree with you #3, pointless in my opinion, have never known anyone to take a knife clubbing and even if someone was stupid enough to, surely the door stewards would be able to pick up on them?
9

RT1874,

Edinburgh 30/04/2008 19:01:21
People who carry knives are the scurge of the earth - at the end of the day, they're carrying them for a purpose (and it's not on the off chance they'll need an apple peeled)!

Agree with you #3, pointless in my opinion, have never known anyone to take a knife clubbing and even if someone was stupid enough to, surely the door stewards would be able to pick up on them?
10

,

30/04/2008 19:12:56
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
11

RT1874,

Edinburgh 30/04/2008 19:28:04

# 10, fair enough but imagine the time that would take, it'd be last orders before we got in...
12

STOP...... Hammer Time!,

30/04/2008 19:49:48
I fail to see that treating 5,812 as suspected criminals and not turning up one person carrying a knife can be called a success.

Unless of course you've got an entirely different agenda.
13

John Blackley,

Florida 30/04/2008 20:18:08
"I'm Scotland's greatest lion hunter."

"But there are no lions in Scotland."

"See what a great job I've done?"

Unbelievable.
14

valleyjim,

drivin thro. the ferry headin for fife-holdin up t 30/04/2008 21:58:29
This stuff is boring. Whatever happened to Kenny Ritchie? I found his life in Dickens pub to be quite riveting. It was always on my mind to drop in and buy him a pint.
15

scottishcoffindodgerno1,

Tram City 01/05/2008 07:20:13
When did Door Stewards get to be that good

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.