I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Adam Lloyd, the host of UK True Crime about my time as a police officer, of almost 40 years. Talking through the notable and tragic cases, like that of Helen Scott and Christine Eadie in the World's End Murders and the four girls murdered by Robert Black. Thanks for having me on the show. You can listen to my interview on Spotify here or via Apple Podcasts here.

This is my latest column for the Scotsman, published on Tuesday 13th October 2026. Reforming our local government structure – currently 32 councils of all shapes, sizes and capabilities for a population of five million – is essential. But beware, we’ve been here before, and if changes are made only to cut costs, it will go horribly wrong. Fifty years ago, we went through a process of logical restructuring, only to tinker with it 20 years later to create the botched model we h

'Former Edinburgh police chief on unsolved murder case which 'changed his mind' on the sex trade' Many thanks to Jane Bradley at the Scotland on Sunday for her article that appeared in the Scotland on Sunday on 4th October. The piece drew upon my extensive career with Lothian and Borders Police, the unsolved murder case of sex worker Sheila Anderson, which to this day, I deeply hope her killer is brought to justice. We covered the notorious Edinburgh brothel owner Dora Noyc

I had the pleasure of being a podcast guest on British Murders, which was aired yesterday (5th October '26). You can listen to it here. Stuart was keen to cover my 40 years of investigating serious crime and what it teaches you about murder along with my time as a detective working on some of the country's most notorious cases before I eventually became a senior-ranking police. Thanks for the interview Stuart.

Thank you to Kevin Quinn for the article that appeared over the weekend, covering my 40 years of policing Edinburgh and my latest true crime book: Sex, Spies & Bloody Murder which uncovers some of the cases I was involved with in the capital's criminal underworld. Here's the Edinburgh Evening News article here. To buy my latest book, click here.

This is my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (29th September 2026). It was obvious we were getting prepared for bad news when media stories started to appear about the dangers of new drug types, particularly synthetic opium like nitazenes. And so it came to pass that, when the annual drug death figures were published a few days later, the news was very bad indeed. Another 1,133 folk lost their lives to drugs last year. To put that in context, over the same period

I was delighted to be interviewed by the journalist Lee Dalgetty at Edinburgh Live about my new book, Sex, Spies and Bloody Murder, and some of the experiences that shaped it during my 40 years in the police, here in Edinburgh. The interview focused particularly on the changing nature of the sex industry in Edinburgh and on the murder of Sheila Anderson, a case in which I was involved as a young detective inspector in 1983. Sheila's murder has stayed with me for many years.

This is my latest column, published in the Scotsman on 15th September 2026. There is little doubt that we are now entering a new age of protest. The political banners and the bright clothing of the anti-Vietnam war and Poll Tax protests may have changed but the simmering discontent remains. The uniform of protest is now back to black, more like Moseley Fascists of the 1930s, black hoodies and track suit bottoms accompanied by face masks and baseball caps, in recognition of m

Dangerous driving in search of social media hits and the scourge of illegally supercharged ebikes shows the folly of over-reliance on technology to police the roads. This is the subject of my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (1st September 2026). I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but lately I have been struck by how few marked police traffic cars I have seen on the trunk roads of Scotland, especially at night. Not so long ago you would frequently see the f

This is the subject of my latest Scotsman column, published in today's newspaper (18th August 2026). Reductions in prison sentences should only be for good behaviour - not a matter of right. Since time immemorial prison governors have used incentives to keep order and to encourage rehabilitation. All prisons are micro societies with their own pecking orders and hierarchies. Plum jobs and privileges are given to inmates who behave, show contrition, or participate in programm

This is my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (4th August 2026). As a rule, derelict buildings are more likely to catch fire than your average fully functioning structure. Setting aside conspiracy theories, poor maintenance of electrical or safety systems, vandalism and careless workmen can all cause problems. So it was no real surprise when the old Debenhams building on Princes Street was gutted by fire. Given the state of Edinburgh’s premier thoroughfare, it’s a w

This is the subject of my latest column, published in the Scotsman on 21st July 2026. Far be it for me to add to the idle speculation about the brutal murder of former politician Ann Widdecombe, but if I were a betting man I would venture a few shillings on ‘mental illness’ being a factor when we eventually find out the background of the individual responsible. It would be a pretty safe bet, for poor mental health in such incidents is a recurring theme. A scan of recent extre

My column, published in today's Scotsman (7th July 2026). It’s hard to imagine a more idyllic spot than North Berwick. Just 25 miles east of Edinburgh, with a beautiful coastline, a picturesque harbour, and surrounded by some of Scotland’s finest links golf courses, it’s easy to see why the East Lothian town is one of our most desirable places to live. You might assume such a prosperous place would be a haven of tranquillity, but you’d be wrong. A revolt is simmering, and it’

This is my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (23rd June 2026). We may eventually hear the answer to an intriguing question from the SNP embezzlement case. Why would Peter Murrell, a successful and well-paid senior executive, risk it all by stealing to buy luxury goods he didn’t need, mostly didn’t use, and could probably have afforded anyway? In many ways, the case was straightforward, common thievery with a large slice of breach of trust. The only complications w

This is my latest column, published in The Scotsman on 9th June 2026. Images of the death of Henry Nowak give a glimpse into the dark and dangerous world of street policing. The police body cam footage of the death of Henry Nowak was a hard watch even for me who has probably seen more of my share of the gruesome side of life. A young man breathing his last and begging for help, while police seemed to pay little heed to his pleas while handcuffing him. All the while the real

This is my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (26th May 2026). There was a weary familiarity about the hooliganism following Celtic football club’s league victory earlier this month. A pitch invasion, threats and abuse against opposition players, followed by drunken and violent disorder masquerading as celebration in Glasgow city centre. We have seen it all before in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Today’s so-called ‘Ultras’ can sometimes be the old ‘Casuals’ rebadged, and

This is my latest column, published in today's Scotsman (12th May 2026). Far be it for me to offer advice to our political party leaders, but I must respectfully suggest that, in his recent criticism of police actions during the arrest of a suspect in the Golders Green stabbings in London, England’s Green Party leader Zack Polanski is talking tripe. Fortunately, the entire incident involving two Metropolitan Police Officers and the suspect, Essa Suleiman, was captured on vid

As the Scottish Parliament election looms, it’s worth remembering that police need to be adequately funded if they are to carry out long, expensive investigations into serious crimes This is my latest column, published on today's Scotsman (28th April 2026) When to stop investigating a crime? It’s a vexed question that every police force must answer sooner or later. Some crimes are so terrible that they must be investigated to the last but, in most cases, it’s a pragmatic deci

This is my latest Scotsman column, published in today's paper (14th April 2026). Antecedents are among the key components of any murder investigation. The careful examination of the life of the deceased can give clues as to how they met their end. Likewise, the same exercise for the accused often offers strong indications of how and why their behaviour led to catastrophe. Carrying out a detailed ‘antecedents’ investigation is a skill-set that must be learned and is often a jo

This is my 200th column for the Scotsman, published in today's newspaper (31st March 2026). The elephant in the room remains the fraught question about the source of the killer Covid virus. No one who’s read Baroness Heather Hallett’s CV could have doubted she would be fastidious in her chairing of the UK Covid Inquiry. A former Appeal Court judge, she led the comprehensive inquiry into the 7/7 terrorist bombing. Her remit was straightforward: “To examine the UK’s response to