Safer Communities

Murder of Tony Ferns - four men sentenced

In April 2019, Tony Ferns was stabbed as he sat in his car in Thornliebank, Glasgow. He was able to drive to his home, but despite the efforts of paramedics, Tony died.
Over the years, enquiries have never ceased. It has been an extremely complex investigation. More than 1,000 people were spoken with, hours of CCTV footage viewed, and painstaking analytical and forensic work has been carried out.

Following that investigation, on Wednesday, 10 September, four men were convicted of murder and sentenced to a total of 81 years in prison. This important outcome in relation to a planned attack sends a message that there is no place for violent crime in Scotland and those committing serious violence and murder will be brought to justice.

Murder of Neil Canney - seven men sentenced

On Friday, 12 September, seven men were sentenced to a total of 147 years in prison for the murder of Neil Canney in Greenock in 2023.
Jack Benson, 24, Dale Russell, 31, Martin McCusker, 41, Brendan Balloch, 25, Kieran Hendry, 26, and Michael Munro, 28, were found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, 25 July, following a trial. They were also found guilty of attempted murder. Kieran Meechan, 29, previously pleaded guilty to murder at an earlier hearing.

All received life sentences with minimum imprisonment terms. Benson was sentenced to 20 years, Russell 24 years, McCusker 23 years, Meechan 17 years. Balloch, Hendry and Munro were each sentenced to 21 years.

Mr Canney was found seriously injured outside his property in Greenock, having been shot on his doorstep in February 2023. He was taken to hospital where he died a short time later.

Murder of Stephen Gray - conviction

In November 2023, officers were called to a block of flats in the Govan area of Glasgow after a man was found with a serious knife wound to his chest. Paramedics attended the address and 23-year-old Stephen Gray was pronounced dead.

A murder investigation was established, and 33-year-old Gavin Gallagher was arrested and charged the next day. Gallagher was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow this month and will be sentenced later.
Murder of Keotshepile Naso Issacs – conviction

On New Year’s Day in 2024, officers were called to a disturbance at a property in North Berwick.
Keotshepile Naso Issacs, a 33-year-old mother-of-three who was known as ‘Naso’, was found with stab wounds at the scene and pronounced dead. Her husband, Mompati Dodo Isaacs, was arrested and charged in connection with her murder.

The 39-year-old was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, 17, September and will be sentenced later.

Death of Scott Boyd - man charged with murder

A 35-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Scott Boyd in Kirkmuirhill, in South Lanarkshire.
Around 4.45am on Wednesday, 27 August, 2025, we were called to a report of two men found injured in the Braeside Crescent area.

Scott Boyd, who is 30 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. 35-year-old Sean McIntyre appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Wednesday, 10 September, 2025, charged with murder. He made no plea and was remanded in custody.

Death of John McNab - man charged with murder

A 16-year-old male has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of 22-year-old John McNab in Edinburgh on Tuesday, 2 September, 2025.

Around 2.10am, police received a report a man had been injured on Great Junction Street at Bonnington Road. Emergency services attended and John died at the scene.

The 16-year-old appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, 4 September, 2025 charged with murder, made no plea, and was remanded in custody.

Death of Ndata Bobb - man charged with murder

A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Ndata Bobb in Edinburgh.
Around 1am on Thursday, 28 August, 2025, we were called to a report of a disturbance at a property on Restalrig Avenue in the city.

Emergency services attended and 43-year-old Ndata was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment, where she died a short time later.

Momodou Bobb appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 1 September, 2025 charged with murder, he made no plea and was remanded in custody.

Death of Raymond Cosgrove – man charged

A 21-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of 33-year-old Raymond Cosgrove in Wemyss Bay.

Around 12.05am on Sunday, 14 September, 2025, officers were called to a report of a man having been injured on Rothesay Gardens.

Emergency services attended, and Mr Cosgrove was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sean Ward appeared at Greenock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, 16 September, charged in connection with murder and was remanded in custody.

Unexplained death of Graham Wright

On Saturday, 13 September 2025, officers were called to the Rubha Dubh, near Firkin Point, after a member of the public discovered human remains on the shore of Loch Lomond.

The remains have been identified as belonging to 38-year-old Graham Wright, who had previously been reported missing from Glasgow. The death is being treated as unexplained.

Detectives and local officers supported by specialist resources, including the dog unit, air support and dive and marine unit have been involved in the investigation, which continues.

Specialist officers are supporting Graham’s family and my thoughts are with his loved ones.

Terrorism conviction

In August, a teenager who planned to set fire to a Muslim centre in Greenock after being radicalised online, was sentenced to a total of 10 years detention and eight years extended licence period.

The 17-year-old male also admitted being in possession of documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

When apprehended he was carrying a camouflage military rucksack, which contained an air pistol, ammunition, ball bearings, gas cartridges and aerosol can, as he attempted to gain entry to the building.

Op Portaledge

Since our last meeting, a further two men have been arrested for their part in the targeted attacks in the East and the West of the country. This brings the number of arrests to 57.

Extensive enquiries by the dedicated team of officers from our Specialist Crime Division, who are being supported by local policing officers, are ongoing as part of Operation Portaledge, with the public continuing to play their part.

Sexual assault Drumnadrochit - man charged

On Thursday, 31 July, we received a report that a child had been approached within his tent at the Loch Ness Bay Campsite, Drumnadrochit, in Inverness-shire.

The report was subject of significant community interest and local policing officers undertook additional patrols in the area.

An investigation, led by our Highland and Islands (N) Division CID and Public Protection and working with colleagues including SPA Forensic Services, was established and resulted in the arrest of a 44-year-old man.
John Bell, from the Grangemouth area, appeared in private at Inverness Sheriff Court charged with sexual assault. He made no plea and was remanded.

I want to thank the local community for their support during our investigation, in particular local businesses and those who came forward with information.

Sexual abuse - man sentenced

This month, a 59-year-old man was jailed indefinitely after sexually abusing two adolescent boys and a vulnerable man.

James Grieve Donaldson was found guilty of four charges following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The court heard how he sexually abused two children between 1991 and 1995. He targeted both boys at various locations in the Dundee area. He also sexually assaulted an adult male, who was asleep and unable to consent, in 2018.

Donaldson received a lifelong restriction order, and he must serve a minimum of two years and six months before he can be considered for release.

I know it is very difficult for people to report and speak about these types of crimes, and I would like to thank the victims in this case for the strength they showed during our investigations.

We are committed to supporting victims of sexual crimes, no matter how much time has passed. I urge people to come forward to police and report it. They can be assured of being fully supported by officers and partner agencies.

Investigation into brothel keeping – arrests and safeguarding

On Tuesday, 16 September, Detective Chief Inspector Jonny Wright led a significant day of action as part of an operation to tackle brothel keeping and safeguard those at risk of sexual exploitation.

Local policing and public protection detectives and officers, supported by specialist resources including operational support, prostitution liaison officers, and victim navigators supported action at nine properties across Edinburgh and East Lothian.

Seven people were safeguarded while three people were arrested.

The action underlines our ongoing commitment to focus on the health and welfare of those involved in prostitution and at risk of sexual exploitation, as part of our violence against women and girls strategy.

At the same time, we continue to target criminals who abuse, control and exploit people, working with partners locally, nationally and internationally to bring offenders to justice, and to raise public awareness to help identify victims and ensure they get the support they need.

Policing of protests and demonstrations

Anti-immigration protests have been taking place every weekend at different locations across Scotland. The vast majority have been peaceful but there have been instances where the ability of conventional officers to manage crowd dynamics has been challenging. The volume of people attending has recently grown and an element of coordination amongst some protest groups exists.

Events are occurring within the context of ongoing public dialogue and protest in relation to the proscription by the UK Government of ‘Palestine Action Group’ as a terrorist group. While unconnected to the primary purpose of the anti-immigration protests, there is a cross-over in causes. This provides for a complex policing environment and challenging dynamics at protest sites.

The role of policing is to enforce the law. In Scotland, we do this in a proportionate way with advice from the

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

A national command structure is in place to ensure oversight and support local policing with access to national resources. Coordination of this work takes place to ensure we are balancing people’s rights to peacefully protest and counter protest, while minimising disruption to the wider community.

Our response to handling protests in Scotland has not changed. Every week we have Police Liaison Teams who work with various protest groups who engage with us, and we help them understand protest activity that can be done within the law.

Engagement and communication is a crucial part of what we do. We are proud of our approach but the relentless challenge of carefully managing such an intense and fragile issue has an impact.

Policing in Scotland has strong relationships with the public and we are grateful for the ongoing support of our communities.

Drug offences enforcement

Seven males, aged between 17 and 34, have been arrested in connection with drug offences as part of an operation targeting serious and organised crime by our Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit North.

Officers executed nine search warrants at addresses in Dundee, Perth and Aberdeen on Thursday, 21 August.

As a result, cocaine, and cannabis worth a collective street value of more than £50,000 were seized, along with a four-figure sum of cash.

We continue to work, day in and day out, to target and disrupt anyone involved in drug dealing.
Suicide Prevention World suicide Prevention Day, held on Wednesday, 10 September, was an important moment to focus on how Police Scotland is working with partners to prevent suicide and ensure people get the help they need and deserve.

We undertake a range of work at a national and local level to signpost people to the right support at the earliest opportunity.

This is co-ordinated nationally through our Mental Health Taskforce in collaboration with the Authority and the Scottish Government, health and third sector colleagues, and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Local policing also supports these efforts, and this month officers at Greater Glasgow (G) Division worked with sporting clubs and suicide charity Papyrus UK to promote their 24-hour helpline.

This work illustrates our commitment to reducing harm and improving the lives of individuals and communities, while supporting those in mental health crisis or distress to get compassionate expert care from those best able to provide it.

We recognise policing is not immune from these harms and it is vital that we support our workforce by tackling the stigma around admitting when you are struggling and need help.

On World Suicide Prevention Day, we hosted three regional events for officers, staff, and their families which provided an opportunity to have open and honest discussions around issues such as self-harm, suicide and the short and long term effects of trauma.

Staff from our Policing Together team, the Scottish Police Federation and wellbeing and trauma informed colleagues also spoke about the work ongoing to jointly address and improve the wellbeing of our colleagues and communities across Scotland.

Mutual aid

Earlier this month, a number of UK police forces supported the policing operation for the state visit of the US President in Windsor. It is important that Police Scotland was part of this.

Close co-operation between UK police forces is essential. Careful consideration is given to our resourcing requirements first, including any significant concurrent events, to ensure there is no impact to policing in Scotland.

Scotland has benefited from mutual aid in the past, most recently during Operation Roll, and has contributed to other forces, and will continue to do so.