Cops see rise in call-outs at Hogmanay

Plan helps night run smoothly

Police in Rutherglen and Cambuslang attended incidents involving violent assaults over the festive period and were prepared for an increase in call-out demand over Hogmanay, the Reformer can reveal.

Extra officers were on duty to meet the predicted demands of the day which saw a five per cent rise in calls on December 31 into the early hours of January 1.

The news comes days after the Scottish Ambulance Service revealed they received a 45 per cent increase between midnight and 7am on January 1 compared to the same time a year ago.

Inspector Bob Bryce, of Rutherglen Police Office, admitted it was not the “worst” Hogmanay the local force had experienced as they dealt with 56 calls.

However, he said they could receive reports from members of the public about incidents on New Year’s Eve in the first few days following the bells.

“Calls were up five per cent compared to the same time last year,” the inspector told the Reformer.

“It was busier than an ordinary weekend,with there was an increase in calls around Rutherglen and Cambuslang.

“But our call-outs can be spread out over a number of days.

“We forward plan it to make sure we have enough staff on duty to meet the demand.

“And we had sufficient resources to meet those needs.

“We had a couple of violent assaults over the festive period but nothing that couldn’t have happened at another time.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service experienced a big increase in demand over Hogmanay.

Control centres reportedly received 2,565 calls between 7pm on December 31 and 7am on January 1.

It was a rise of 38.4 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Between midnight and 7am, calls answered totalled 1,879, an increase of 583 calls.

Additional call handlers, dispatchers, ambulance crews and support staff were on duty to deal with the high levels of demand that always make Hogmanay one of the busiest nights of the year.

Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “The festive period has been a challenge for the service, due to a significant increase in demand and pressures on the system.

“Yet again, our staff in our control centres, on the frontline, support staff and volunteers have risen to this challenge and showed what an incredible group of dedicated people they are.

“Working in often challenging and relentless circumstances, they did a fantastic job of managing and responding to this big increase in demand and showed that across the country, we continue to strive to deliver the highest level of care to our patients.”