I’ve been hit three times in four years ...my home doesn’t feel like home now
Edward Jorgensen knows all too well the shock of having your home broken into – it’s happened to him three times in four years.
The first was in November, 2014, when his valuables were ransacked as he holidayed in Spain.
In July this year he was hit again, in the middle of the night, but this time he was threatened with a screwdriver unless he handed over cash. With no money to hand, Edward withdrew £300 from the nearest cash machine to escape trouble.
Edward is convinced the same man is responsible for the latest break-in, which happened just last Saturday, as he worked night-shift at Asda. His TV and Playstation were taken which he believes were noticed during the screwdriver attack.
“Home feels less like home now,” he said. “At the slightest noise, I’m on edge. I don’t want to let a stranger in my house anymore. I’m terrified.
“I can’t sleep at night and I get nightmares. I have been pushed to breaking point.”
Edward, 38, has lived at his home in Granton, Edinburgh for 34 years. He once shared it with his mum and step-dad.
“Mum would have moved by now,” he reveals. “These things never used to happen.”
He lost his late mother’s watch in the first raid in 2014.
“It was one that I had bought her and was unique. It was her favourite piece of jewellery. If I could get anything back at all, it would be that.”
Police responded quickly to all of the break-ins, and the perpetrator of the first crime was caught in the following months.
However, police have yet to catch the responsible party for the other two break-ins.
“Their response at the last one was a shrug of the shoulders. I don’t expect to hear anything and don’t hold much hope,” he said.
Edward has criticised the local area for a lack of community spirit in these circumstances.
“We shouldn’t have to live in fear of these people,” he added. “It’s dog eat dog now and people only fight for themselves.
“There’s no community spirit here anymore.”
Edward says he has considered moving away from his Granton property, but doesn’t feel he should let burglars win. After 34 years there, his memories have been destroyed.
For people in EH5, that’s an all too common feeling.