Baton round is fired by police firearms officer during Easter Saturday stand-off
POLICE took down a woman with a plastic bullet during a dramatic stand-off at a tourist attraction.
The 48-year-old allegedly waved an axe as she came towards officers in a wooded area near Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh on Saturday.
The decision to open fire was taken as officers feared she posed a threat to them and members of the public.
The woman was subdued by the plastic bullet – known as a baton round – and taken to hospital for treatment. She was arrested and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.
Police, including negotiators and firearms officers, were called to the castle grounds at about 11.30am after an alarm was raised over the woman’s behaviour.
It’s understood she had been living rough in the area and suffers from mental health issues.
The area around the 14th century castle was sealed off for a number of hours while police dealt with the situation.
Historic Scotland, who run the site, tweeted at the time: “We’re afraid that due to an incident in Craigmillar Park, we have been forced to close Craigmillar Castle for the rest of today. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience.”
They later said all their staff were safe and confirmed yesterday that the castle had reopened to visitors.
A police spokesman said on Saturday: “We can confirm that a 48-year-old woman has been arrested following an incident which took place in a wooded area at Craigmillar Castle.
“No other persons were involved during the incident, which involved the use of force-authorised firearms officers and negotiators.
“The area around Craigmillar Castle was fully contained for a number of hours. At no time was any member of the public in any danger. A report is being prepared for the procurator fiscal.”
The use of plastic bullets by police in Scotland is rare.
An armed police officer used a baton round – or an AEP (Atenuating Energy Projectile) as they are officially known – on a 15-year-old boy in Bannockburn, Stirlingshire, in May 2013.
The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were later asked to review the incident and found their use by the officer proportionate and justified.
The boy was armed with a large knife and became involved in a two-hour stand-off with police officers.
He had threatened to kill himself and appeared to be attempting to attack an officer.
However, the use of the baton round during the incident proved ineffective and a Taser was also used.
Baton rounds were approved for use by Scottish police prior to the formation of Police Scotland.