Dundonian coronavirus outlaws have been criticised after the city was placed second in a league table of illegal house party hotspots.
Figures obtained by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request revealed police were called to 66 gatherings which broke household restrictions in place since officers were given extra powers in late August.
The city is second only to the north west of Glasgow, where police attended 92 gatherings.
Cumbernauld and the east of Glasgow followed with 49 get-togethers that breached restrictions between August 28 and October 14.
The figures showed a large spike in both police call-outs and parties on the weekend of September 26 – days after the Scottish Government announced a ban on visiting people in their homes.
REGIONAL BREAKDOWN: Areas in Tayside and Fife with most lockdown house-party police callouts
Tayside police are responding to around 15 call outs every weekend, the figures show.
Councillor Fraser Macpherson, Liberal Democrat group leader in Dundee, said: “I am very concerned by the number of house gatherings not just in Tayside but across the country.
“This is a major way in which the virus can spread. The restrictions on household gatherings are there to ensure that Covid-19 spread is driven down to protect people and saves lives, so it is vital that everyone understands this and sticks to the rules as the vast majority of folk do.”
Assaults on police officers and staff carrying out their duties during this challenging time are disgraceful.”
Police Scotland also recorded a number of notable breaches in its weekly log of incidents.
Officers from the north east division reported 270 students holding an “ongoing party” in halls of residence.
Officers also attended a house party in St Andrews where eight students required “reasonable force” to eject them.
The log showed homes on Airbnb are being increasingly used to plan and host parties that break coronavirus restrictions.
Regional breakdown
- In Angus, police attended 43 house gatherings, of which 29 were in breach of restrictions. There were no fixed penalty notices issued but one arrest was made.
- In Dundee, police attended 128 house gatherings, of which 66 were in breach of restrictions. There were nine fixed penalty notices issued and one arrest was made. Ten of the gatherings involved students.
- In Central Fife, police attended 50 house gatherings, of which 20 were in breach of restrictions. There were nine fixed penalty notices issued and 12 arrests were made. Ten of the gatherings involved students.
- In East Fife, police attended 51 house gatherings, of which 18 were in breach of restrictions. There were nine fixed penalty notices issued and seven arrests were made. Fourteen of the gatherings involved students.
- In West Fife, police attended 67 house gatherings, of which 32 were in breach of restrictions. There was one fixed penalty notice issued but no arrests were made.
- In Perth and Kinross, police attended 59 house gatherings, of which 26 were in breach of restrictions. There were five fixed penalty notices issued but no arrests were made. One of the gatherings involved students.
All ages breaking gatherings restrictions, say police
Deputy chief constable Malcolm Graham said: “Despite overwhelming levels of co-operation and support from communities across Scotland, a small minority of people continue to host or participate in house parties and gatherings.
“These are not confined to certain age groups and people should not be in any doubt that house gatherings allow coronavirus to spread. Where we encounter wilful, repeated, persistent or flagrant breaches we will, as the public would expect and support, act decisively to enforce the law.
“The Chief Constable has made it clear that we are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing and remember the purpose of these measures is to aid the collective effort to stay safe, protect others and save lives by preventing the virus from spreading,” he added.
“Assaults on police officers and staff carrying out their duties during this challenging time are disgraceful and will not be tolerated as we remain committed to improving and ensuring their safety.”
Across Scotland, only 41% of police call outs ended up with party goers being arrested or receiving a fixed penalty notice, according to the data.
