Mass brawls on Edinburgh’s Meadows leave police officer hospitalised

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Police have hit out at politicians for “offloading predictable problems” onto law enforcement after an officer was hospitalised with a facial injury while responding to mass brawls at an Edinburgh park. The chair of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents 98 per cent of the country’s officers, turned his ire on politicians, claiming such problems had been “predictable” amid growing public hostility towards health restrictions. “Police officers didn’t write these health regulations but for the last year we have been asked to enforce them for the protection of all,” David Hamilton said. “It is simply not good enough that politicians have offloaded these predictable problems onto police officers, especially when they have failed in their responsibility to protect and support those of whom they have asked so much.” Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray said police, the council and retailers should come up with an action plan to deal with trouble on the Meadows – a major green space just south of Edinburgh’s historic old town area –and the mess left behind from large gatherings.