Tourist Tax-Funded Edinburgh Police Unit Reports 49 Arrests 2026

Key Points

• Edinburgh’s new City Centre Policing Unit made 49 arrests during its first month of operation.
• Police Scotland said the arrests resulted in 114 charges for offences recorded in the city centre.
• The unit was launched on 2 July 2026 to address crime, antisocial behaviour and disorder.
• Officers seized alcohol in the Hunter Square area on 47 occasions.
• Police issued 20 warnings and two fixed penalty notices for antisocial behaviour.
• Officers carried out 208 interactions with young people visiting Edinburgh city centre.
• The unit helped police the aftermath of a significant fire on Princes Street.
• Officers are expected to support policing during the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe.
• The unit is partly funded by money raised through Edinburgh’s visitor levy, also known as the tourist tax.
• Police Scotland said the dedicated team should reduce pressure on frontline officers elsewhere in the city.

Edinburgh Police (Edinburgh Daily) August 06, 2026 — A new City Centre Policing Unit made 49 arrests and brought 114 charges during its first month of operation, according to figures released after the team began targeted patrols across the Scottish capital.

The City Centre Policing Unit, known as the CCPU, began operating on 2 July. Its first-month figures cover activity during July and include arrests, charges, alcohol seizures, police warnings, fixed penalty notices and engagement with young people.

Police Scotland said the unit was established to respond to crime and antisocial behaviour in Edinburgh city centre. The team is partly supported by money expected to come from the City of uk/local/edinburgh-council/">Edinburgh Council’s visitor levy, which places an additional charge on eligible overnight accommodation.

The figures show that 49 people were arrested, with 114 charges brought against them. The available reports do not state that each charge related to a separate person, and an arrest or charge does not amount to a conviction.

The unit also seized alcohol in the Hunter Square area on 47 occasions. Hunter Square has been identified by police and city partners as an area requiring a focused response to street drinking and related disorder.

Police officers issued 20 recorded warnings during the month. They also issued two fixed penalty notices for antisocial behaviour, according to STV News’ report on the unit’s first-month activity.

In addition, officers recorded 208 interactions with young people visiting the city centre. Police described the activity as engagement with young people rather than reporting it solely as enforcement.

Why was the new policing unit created?

The CCPU was created to provide a dedicated policing presence in one of Edinburgh’s busiest areas. The city centre attracts residents, workers, tourists, shoppers and visitors attending major cultural events, creating demand for policing across different times of the day and night.

According to BBC News, the unit was intended to help reduce pressure on frontline officers who would otherwise be required to respond to city-centre incidents. The team is partly funded through Edinburgh’s visitor levy, which was introduced to generate money for services and improvements connected with tourism.

The unit’s launch formed part of a wider arrangement between Police Scotland and the City of Edinburgh Council. Earlier reports said the unit would include an inspector, three sergeants and 45 constables. Its annual staffing cost was expected to be approximately £2.78 million, with £1 million coming from visitor levy income.

The visitor levy applies to eligible paid overnight stays in Edinburgh. The charge is set at 5% of accommodation costs and is capped at five consecutive nights at the same accommodation. The council expects the levy to raise tens of millions of pounds each year for local priorities.

The police unit is therefore one of several services linked to the city’s new approach to using tourism-related income. Other planned areas of spending include housing, infrastructure, public spaces, cultural activity and services used by residents and visitors.

What offences and problems did officers target?

The first-month figures identify several areas of police activity but do not provide a complete breakdown of all 114 charges. Police activity included arrests connected with offences in the city centre, action against antisocial behaviour and measures aimed at tackling street drinking.

STV News reported that the unit had worked on issues including shop theft, antisocial behaviour and disorder. The report also said alcohol was seized 47 times in the Hunter Square area.

The figures indicate that the CCPU’s role extends beyond arresting suspects. Officers also issued warnings, used fixed penalty notices, engaged with young people and worked with organisations dealing with problems in specific locations.

Inspector Stephen Quinn, who leads the unit, said the first month had been challenging but rewarding. As reported by STV News, he said officers had worked to provide a benefit to Edinburgh city centre and had addressed issues including shop theft, antisocial behaviour and disorder.

Inspector Quinn also referred to cooperation with the Retail Crime Taskforce, Simon Community Scotland, Street Assist and representatives from the night-time economy. These organisations and groups work in or around the city centre, including areas affected by retail crime, street vulnerability, public safety and evening activity.

The inspector said the unit would continue to focus on hotspot areas and improve confidence in the policing response. He also acknowledged that further work was required.

How did the unit respond to the Princes Street fire?

During its first month, the CCPU also supported the police response after a significant fire on Princes Street.

Inspector Quinn said the unit helped staff cordons needed to keep the public safe following the fire. According to his statement reported by STV News, the dedicated support allowed resources that might otherwise have been drawn from other parts of Edinburgh to continue with their normal duties.

The role demonstrates that the unit is not limited to routine patrols or enforcement activity. A dedicated city-centre team can also provide additional resources during emergencies, public-safety incidents and events that require cordons or crowd management.

No further details about the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage or any related investigation are included in the first-month policing figures. The available reports focus on the policing contribution made by the new unit.

Will the unit police Edinburgh’s festivals?

Officers from the CCPU are expected to take part in policing the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The festivals bring large numbers of residents and visitors into the city centre and create additional demands involving crowds, public order, street activity, transport routes and late-night venues. STV News reported that the unit would be involved in policing the events.

The festival period will provide a further test of the unit’s ability to maintain a visible presence while responding to incidents and supporting event-related operations. However, the first-month figures do not establish whether the unit has reduced crime across the city centre or how its performance compares with previous years.

The figures also do not show how many arrests led to prosecutions, how many cases resulted in convictions or whether the introduction of the unit changed overall crime levels. Those outcomes would require longer-term data and comparisons with earlier periods.

How is the visitor levy funding the unit?

Edinburgh’s visitor levy is designed to collect money from overnight visitors through a charge added to eligible accommodation costs. The council has said the income will be reinvested in services and facilities affected by tourism.

BBC reporting said the council expected to raise about £50 million each year from the levy. A portion of that income was allocated to the city-centre policing arrangement.

The levy came into effect on 24 July 2026, while the City Centre Policing Unit began operating on 2 July. This means the unit started work before the levy formally took effect, although its funding model was connected to the expected income from the charge.

The council’s visitor levy plans include spending on city operations, infrastructure, culture, heritage, events and visitor management. The policing unit forms part of the visitor-management and public-safety element of that wider programme.

The arrangement means visitors staying in paid accommodation are helping to support a policing resource that serves the city centre. At the same time, the unit’s activities affect people who live and work in Edinburgh as well as those who visit.

What did Police Scotland say about the results?

Police Scotland described the first month as an important start for the unit. Its published figures recorded almost 50 arrests, 114 charges, alcohol seizures, warnings and youth interactions during the initial operating period.

The statement from Inspector Quinn highlighted both enforcement and partnership work. He said officers had responded to problems in hotspot locations while working with retail-crime specialists, charities, Street Assist and businesses involved in the night-time economy.

The inspector also said the unit would continue building on its early work and aim to make Edinburgh city centre as safe as possible for people who live, work and visit there. That statement represents the police leadership’s position and is not an independent assessment of the unit’s effectiveness.

The first-month results provide an early activity report rather than a final evaluation. Arrests, charges and seizures show what officers did, but they do not alone demonstrate whether crime, antisocial behaviour or public concern has fallen.

What is the background to Edinburgh’s city-centre policing plan?

Edinburgh became the first Scottish city to introduce a visitor levy after councillors approved a charge intended to raise money for improvements linked to tourism. The levy was set at 5% and was scheduled to begin on 24 July 2026.

The City of Edinburgh Council has said the income may support housing, infrastructure, public spaces, cultural projects and increased policing. The council has also approved funding connected with affordable housing and other measures intended to address the impact of tourism on the city.

The dedicated policing unit was announced as one practical use of the expected income. Its stated purpose is to provide additional resources in the city centre and reduce the need to redeploy officers from other areas.

The CCPU began operating on 2 July, before the visitor levy took effect. Its first month included the Edinburgh city-centre response to the Princes Street fire, work against shop theft and antisocial behaviour, alcohol seizures in Hunter Square and preparations for major festival activity.

How could the crackdown affect residents, visitors and businesses?

For residents and workers, the dedicated unit could mean a more consistent police presence in busy locations such as Hunter Square and other city-centre hotspots. If the unit maintains its activity beyond the first month, people may see more targeted patrols, enforcement and partnership work in areas affected by disorder.

Visitors may encounter more visible policing during the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe. The unit’s involvement could support public-safety operations, although the available first-month figures do not show whether visitor experience or reported crime has already changed.

Retailers and hospitality businesses may benefit from a focused response to shop theft, antisocial behaviour and night-time disorder. However, the long-term effect will depend on whether arrests and charges are accompanied by fewer incidents, faster responses and sustained cooperation with businesses and community organisations.

People staying in paid accommodation will contribute indirectly through the visitor levy. The immediate financial impact is a 5% charge on eligible accommodation, while the policing benefit is intended to support the wider city centre used by residents, businesses and visitors.

The clearest measure of the unit’s performance will come from longer-term evidence, including changes in reported offences, repeat incidents, emergency demand, public confidence and the outcomes of cases brought forward during the first month.