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First Minister issues latest warning on house parties after stunned police chief reveals 300 gatherings were broken up at the weekend
NICOLA Sturgeon has slammed Scots still having house parties after police were called out 300 times to deal with them at the weekend.
Strict lockdown rules introduced last week mean no one should be hosting social gatherings inside their home.
But Scotland’s top police officer yesterday revealed his officers responded to at least 300 indoor gatherings across the country between Friday and Sunday morning.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said at least 101 fixed penalties were issued and 14 arrests made while responding to complaints of house parties.
Analysis suggests house parties are being held across the country in every community and age group – with transmission of the virus a particular problem within homes.
Asked about the number of parties at her daily media briefing, the First Minister said: “These figures have to be seen in context of a population of 5.4million people.
“The vast majority of people in Scotland are abiding by the rules and they have my deep appreciation for that.
“But anyone that’s not – particularly anyone that’s flagrantly breaching very clear rules about house parties – should take a look at themselves, because we know that house parties are one of the risk factors that can cause this virus to spread.”
She added: “I think house gathering is perhaps a better description. When you say house party, people think of events with dozens of people there. This could be a smaller number of people but with different households mixing.”
The Chief Constable said: “There is no doubt that house parties or house gatherings are not permitted and there can be no excuse for arranging, attending, or hosting a house party.
“It is against the law. Where officers encounter blatant, wilful, or persistent breaches, we will take decisive action to enforce the law.”
One mum told the Record how she was among those warned by police for having family at her house to deliver birthday gifts for her daughter.
Leanne Macdonald, 36, celebrated her 10-year-old daughter Myla’s birthday on Sunday.
Due to restrictions, the mum decided to stay at home in Irvine with partner Gary, 37, and the couple’s other daughter Rylee, two.
Leanne says her parents, grandparents and aunt and uncle “popped over” separately to briefly hand in gifts for Myla.
But the mum of two said the birthday celebrations were ruined when two uniformed police officers turned up saying she had been reported by an anonymous neighbour for breaking the rules.
Leanne says she missed the most recent restrictions update due “a lot going on” in her personal life and assumed she was still allowed one household at a time indoors.
She said: “I honestly didn’t know the rules had changed. I missed all that. We weren’t planning to have people over or anything.
“My grandparents popped over for 15 minutes with a present for her then they left.
“After they left, my aunt and uncle came over to drop a gift off.
“My aunt did pop in to see Myla quickly but my uncle basically stayed outside and a wee while later my mum and dad came over and my mum nipped in to see Myla’s balloons and but that was it. The next thing I knew the police were at the door saying someone had reported me for having six adults and six kids in my house at the same time, which just absolutely did not happen.”
Leanne says police told her house was now on an “alert list” and if she was caught breaking rules again, she would face prosecution and a fine.
She said: “I could not believe it. The came to the door and told me I had been reported for having people in my house. I was shocked.
“The funny thing is, they actually came into my house to tell me my home was ‘on alert’ and if I broke the rules again I would be fined and charged. So the police can come in my house but my family can’t?”
Leanne said she is genuinely sorry for the mishap and says it has left her feeling “scared” of another accidental breach.
She said: “I am sorry we broke the rules. It wasn’t our intention. They were not all inside and they weren’t all here at the same time and we all kept a social distance.
“But to be honest the rules are so confusing and keep changing, it’s hard to keep up. It feels like we are totally losing all our freedoms to this virus and it feels a bit like they are making it up as they go along.
“I am scared now in case it happens again and I get prosecuted.”
The police came into my house but my family can’t LEANNE MACDONALD ON HOME GATHERINGS