Two men who tried to steal a dog from its owner at knifepoint are being hunted by police.
The 43-year-old man was walking a dog in a field near National Cycle Route 75 and Lanark Road West in Balerno when he was approached by the two men.
According to police, one of them tried to take the dog from the owner and the other assaulted him with a knife between 5.15pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday (February 13).
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The owner was taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh hospital after the incident.
Police describe the first man as white, around 50-years-old, with a stocky build and at around 5ft6 in height. He had a ginger greying beard and was wearing a black thermal beanie hat, black puffer jacket and had a local accent.
The second suspect is described as a white man in his 20s of slim build at around 5ft 10 in height. He was said to be clean shaven, wearing a hat, black jacket with green writing, with pale blue denim jeans and tan coloured boots.
The pair were said to have made off towards Ravelrig Road.
Detective Inspector Martin Smith of Edinburgh CID said: “This appears to be an attempt to rob the man of his dog, and it is vital that we establish the full circumstances of what happened and trace the men responsible.
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“I would like to speak to anyone who was in the area between 5pm and 6pm on Tuesday who saw or heard anything suspicious.
"Similarly, anyone with private CCTV, doorbell footage or dashcam of the area is urged to review the footage and bring anything significant to our attention.
“Officers will be carrying out additional patrols in the area and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers.”
Anyone with any information can call 101, quoting incident 2591 of Tuesday February 13, 2024.
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