Police in Perth have made two arrests after dispersing a large crowd of youths gathered at a popular beauty spot on Friday.
Several police vehicle descended on North Inch, a large expanse of public land, at around 6pm on Friday, April 9 following a gathering of around 50 youths at the site.
At least two police vehicles drove onto the grass area as officers sought to engage with those involved.
However, eyewitnesses say a number of youth fled towards Perth town centre as the police arrived.
One onlooker, out walking in the park at the time, said a large main crowd of around 30 to 40 young people, as well as a second smaller group consisting of around 10 – 15 youths had been at the park area since late afternoon.
“Several of the youths were drinking and the two groups had been there for a good few hours,” said the eyewitness.
“Quite a large number of them ran away when the police vehicles arrived.
“I also saw officers leading away one female while another was also apprehended by other officers as the police were ordering individuals to disperse.”
Eyewitnesses also reported seeing officers also engaging with a number of youths who had headed towards Perth town centre a short time after incident at North Inch.
The police action comes as officers in Perth and Kinross step up patrols at beauty spots and public parks over the weekend to ensure the safety of the public and to provide advice around the coronavirus regulations.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland confirmed that officers had made two arrests at North Inch relating to what were described as ”minor offences”.
They added: “We ask everyone to continue to comply with the regulations and to be respectful of others in the area in terms of social distancing, anti-social behaviour and littering.
“We are working closely with partners and Perth and Kinross Council to make sure young people are as safe as possible, but we still need support from parents and carers.
“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and encourage compliance, but we will not hesitate to use our enforcement powers as a last resort.”