EXCLUSIVE: Motorbike crime down by a third in north Edinburgh

Forth News can exclusively reveal that motorbike crime is down by a third in north Edinburgh.

The issue has plagued communities in places such as Muirhouse and Pilton for years. In June 2016, 16-year-old Brad Williamson died while joyriding a motorbike on Silverknowes Road, and last August a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was struck by a stolen motorbike.

We launched our 'Break The Cycle' campaign last year, investigating the problem and telling the stories of those impacted by the issue.

It led to action by Edinburgh Council, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government promised to look in to what more could be done to tackle the problem.

Now, new figures from Police Scotland show in the last three months the number of motorbike incidents recorded has fallen by a third compared to the same period last year.

Councillor Kevin Lang led action at Edinburgh Council. He says: "The work that Radio Forth has done on this in particular has been amazing to see. It's highlighted these issues, shined a spotlight, and most importantly gave a voice to people who felt ignored on these issues.

"There are still issues that we need to continue to work on, but in general people see a big difference compared to this time last year. Importantly, I think people feel more confident to speak up, speak out and identify the people involved in this."

Robert Pearson is the Chair of residents group 'TRIM and Friends of West Pilton'. He says: "Day and night we would normally see bikes scooting about, doing dangerous acts and causing distress. Now there is a massive decrease in the number of bikes we're seeing. We're npt saying the problem is completely away, the problem does remain, but the number of incidents reported to us and certainly the police has gone down dramatically."