Police Scotland urges councillors to help reduce number of protests

Councillors have been urged to help reduce the number of protests in Scotland’s cities as police raised fears over officers being taken away from other duties.

A letter from the force’s divisional commanders to local representatives says they have been dealing with an “increasingly crowded protest landscape” over the last few weeks.

While many of these demonstrations are “legitimate”, broader solutions are needed to deal with the issues they raise, it says.

Protests and counter-protests in George Square, Glasgow, required significant police resources, the letter says.

Disorder broke out in the square on June 17 when far-right loyalists disrupted an event supporting refugees.

The letter says: “Like so many people in Scotland, the chief constable and officers of Police Scotland were shocked about recent events in the United States.

“Racism in all its forms is disgraceful and unacceptable.

“Those events do not reflect our style of policing in Scotland and we continue to value the strong bond of trust with all our citizens and communities.”

It adds: “Although many of these protests are entirely legitimate, they pose significant challenges for policing, and public safety risks, given the ongoing pandemic in Scotland.”

The letter urges councillors to take an active role, saying: “Given the risks to social cohesion posed by this increasingly crowded protest landscape, and the negative impact on the overall capacity of Police Scotland, we would ask that you would exert the influence that you have, as elected politicians, to seek broader solutions to this growing issue of concern to Police Scotland.”

Picture: Andrew Cawley. A large police presence at protests and counterprotests in George Square, Glasgow.