Three arrests as police raid suspected brothels across Edinburgh

LBC joined specialist police teams as they executed warrants at nine addresses across the city and in East Lothian this morning.

DI Steph Garnett briefed officers ahead of the action telling them: “Today we’ve got nine warrants we’re going to be executing hence why there’s so many of you. A lot of those warrants we are going to be executing simultaneously.

“The warrants today fall under (the legislation) that criminalises any person who leases or is the landlord for premises which are being used as a brothel and knowingly allows it to be used as such.

“So we have a number of warrants that we’re executing both at addresses of subjects but also addresses that we believe might be operating as brothels.”

We then travelled with officers in tactical gear to a property in a residential neighbourhood.

They smashed through the front door before conducting searches and leading a man outside to an unmarked police vehicle.

In total across all the raids, one man and two women were arrested.

A 46-year-old man in connection with suspected brothel keeping offences.

A 70-year-old woman in connection with suspected brothel keeping offences.

And a 37-year-old woman in connection with suspected offences involving the supply of controlled drugs.

DCI Jonny Wright also told LBC several thousand pounds worth of cash had been seized and that officers had engaged with and ‘safeguarded’ seven people.

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He said: “We work really closely with our partners to try and support (those) people in the best way possible.

“It’s hugely important that they know they have the full support of police scotland.

“But we will also use the full leverage of the law to take action against those who seek to exploit and cause harm to some of the most vulnerable within our communities.”