0845hrs, 27/05/08
Press Office, Fettes

Hoteliers in Edinburgh are being invited to join a new group in a bid to improve hotel security in the capital.

Lothian and Borders Police will today (Tuesday) launch 'CHECKIN', a partnership group that aims to bring the city's hotel industry together under a crime prevention banner.

The launch takes place at one of the city's biggest hotels - the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa in Festival Square ? which is backing the scheme.

The aim of the initiative is to encourage hoteliers to share information and intelligence, in a bid to prevent crime.

As part of this police will work alongside the participating hotels, providing advice and training to staff on crime prevention measures.

PC Bruce Burt, who has helped devise the scheme, said that it was vital that hotels work together in order to prevent crime.

He said: "Edinburgh is a massive tourist destination, and as a result hotel occupancy rates are likely to continue to keep growing in the years ahead.

"With this in mind it becomes ever more important for hotels to protect their guests and staff from crime, and this initiative will help them to share information with each other on how they can achieve that aim.

"The scheme has already been successfully run in cities like London, where the hotel industry is heavily involved. We hope that this can be successfully repeated in Edinburgh."