Some may claim it was a coincidence, but shortly after I circulated a motion in the Scottish Parliament about the anti-social use of e-bikes and e-scooters and their involvement in organised crime a ministerial letter was issued.
And sure enough, it highlighted the great things they were doing, like funding youth work and the CashBack for Communities programme which uses Proceeds of Crime funds to support young people who could become involved in crime.
Except the youth work money comes from the inadequate grant councils receive, so the onus is on hard-pressed local authorities. And using Proceeds of Crime money means it’s very limited.
Then the ministers went into all the things they expect the police to do, but had nothing to say about police funding and how desperate the force is for resources, which is entirely down to the spending choices the SNP makes.
“Their proximity to communities allows for tailored interventions and collaborative efforts that reflect local needs and risks,” said the letter, ignoring the fact that sometimes such community proximity involves two officers in one car covering an area of Edinburgh with about 100,000 inhabitants.
Even by SNP standards, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown, and Minister for “Connectivity” Jim Fairlie had some brass neck putting their names to an announcement which confirmed they were doing the square root of Sweet Fanny Adams about this growing menace.
Recent arrests in Edinburgh were encouraging, but just a start, and it’s despite the SNP, not because of it.
