Dawn raids target city criminals

More than 170 officers were involved in the raids

More than 20 properties were targeted in a series of dawn raids by police in east Edinburgh.

The Lothian and Borders force said it had been focussing on a network of criminals who were "making residents' lives a misery".

More than 170 officers were involved in the raids in the Leith, Craigmillar and Portobello areas.

Six people were arrested on warrants and four others were detained under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Police said they had recovered a "substantial amount" of stolen property, £6,000 in cash and a firearm.

We want to break the wall of silence from law-abiding members of the community who hold vital information but are too frightened to pass it on to police Ch Insp Donnie MacKinnon

Ch Insp Donnie MacKinnon said: "Our officers went out there this morning to give a clear message to the community that we are not prepared to tolerate the criminal behaviour that damages these neighbourhoods.

"The operation, which was planned over many months, was our response to the many complaints we have had from residents about levels of fear and intimidation by those involved in criminal networks, including drug dealing."

He said the operation had been a success - but would not solve the problems overnight.

"We want to break the wall of silence from law-abiding members of the community who hold vital information but are too frightened to pass it on to police," he added.

"We hope that the continuing high profile presence of police over the next few weeks will give residents the reassurance and the confidence they need to contact police or Crimestoppers and work together in partnership to make their community a safer place to live."