Police across Tayside and Fife have arrested 12 people for allegedly breaching restrictions put in place to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The force has also used emergency powers to hand out 133 fines throughout Courier country since the lockdown came into effect in late March as a result of Covid-19.
Hundreds of people have also been dispersed by officers for breaching the guidelines on social distancing.
Across Scotland some 1,637 fixed penalty notices have been issued for people breaching the new rules between March 27 and the morning of Thursday, April 23. A total of 78 Scots have been arrested in relation to alleged social distancing breaches.
Of the overall figure, 69 people in Tayside were fined and eight were arrested. A total of 208 had to be dispersed by officers after being “informed” and 40 after being “instructed”.
The figures also show that 16 people in Tayside were taken home “using reasonable force”.
In Fife 64 were handed fixed penalty notices and four were arrested. Some 167 people had to be dispersed by officers after being informed and 68 after being “instructed”.
One person in the kingdom was taken home “using reasonable force”.
In unprecedented measures to curb the Covid-19 infection rate, Scots have been unable to leave their properties except for important shopping, a daily exercise, to provide medical care, or to travel to and from essential work.
At the time the lockdown measures came into force – on Tuesday, March 24 – UK citizens were warned they could continue in some form for at least 13 weeks, or possibly even longer.
Tayside Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Andrew Todd, said the new laws are only being used as a “last resort”.
He added: “The public’s response in Tayside has been excellent – the majority have accepted police advice and only on very rare occasions have officers had to issuing warnings or take enforcement action.
“We all continue to find ourselves in an extraordinary situation and we know people are making significant sacrifices in their day-to-day lives as the restrictions continue. Police Scotland officers will continue to work hard to explain, educate and encourage people to comply with the guidance where necessary.
“Enforcement action will be used as a last resort and only where people continue to flout the regulations and fail to comply repeatedly with police direction.
“In line with the rest of the country, our patrols continue at key locations including beaches, dog walking areas, parks and other green spaces.
“I appreciate that as the restrictions persist and the weather continues to be so good, it may feel tempting to spend time more outdoors and to visit the countless beauty spots we are fortunate to have across Tayside.”
He added: “However the message is clear – you should only leave the house for very limited purposes including buying basic necessities such as food and medicine, for daily exercise, for medical needs or travelling for work which cannot be done at home.
“Do not travel to take exercise and do not hold gatherings with people from outwith your household.
“The Chief Constable has been clear that everyone – including police officers – has to take a common sense approach to this challenging situation and this is what we will continue to do given our strong history of policing by consent. We need everybody, collectively, though to play their part to protect the NHS and save lives.”
