Public Space

Another Use To Police Boxes

Another use to police boxes

Edinboxes are a group of police box owners who are using individual police boxes around the city in a variety of ways from flowers and food to cinema and sewing.

They regularly hold events to open up the boxes in order to share the enthusiasm for these iconic pieces of Edinburgh city street furniture with the public (such as film and books festivals).

Police Boxes were introduced to the UK in the 1920s to enable Police officers to contact their stations and the public to contact emergency services as telephones were not in widespread use at that time.
The Edinburgh police boxes are a different style to those in the rest of the UK and are unique to the city. Members of the public could report crimes to officers directly at the boxes so they were an important element of community policing.

By the end of the 1960s, modern technology and changes in policing practises meant that the boxes had become obsolete and they were put up for public sale. Many of the boxes can still be found around the city being used for other purposes.

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