Some call-outs false alarms but public urged to continue reporting fears

Over the course of the crackdown, officers also attended a number of false alarms – calls which had been made with good intentions but where there was no breach of the rules. Sergeant Geoff Catto urged people to continue to get in touch if they believe others are breaking the law, and pledged to investigate every report. “Generally people will phone in because they have a genuine reason for doing so and are anxious about breaches of the guidelines,” he said. “We’ll go and investigate every one and I would urge people to keep phoning in. If there are folk thinking they will get away with it, people will report them. “The vast majority of people are sticking to the rules. This is only a minority across the city when you consider how many people live here. “There is a large population of young people and the majority are sticking to the rules.” Chief Inspector David Paterson, local area commander for Aberdeen City South, said: “We fully recognise the impact the restrictions have had on people’s lives. However, it is clear significant sacrifices are vital to help suppress the spread of Covid-19. “Thankfully, the vast majority of the public have continued to comply with the regulations and the spirit of the legislation. “Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation, encourage compliance and use enforcement as a last resort. “We really appreciate the patience and tolerance displayed by our communities, as well as their understanding of the challenges faced by all emergency services over the last year. “I’d also like to commend our officers across the north-east who have showed remarkable resilience and commitment throughout this testing time.” North-east Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said everyone has a responsibility to do their bit to “drive down new cases”. “More and more people are getting vaccinated, but this is no time for complacency,” he said. “Almost 900 Scots are still in hospital and there are new admissions every day. We owe it to the NHS to do our part in driving down new cases. “The only way we will see a return to normal is if people stick to the rules. “Breaking them is illegal, foolish and could influence the tier we go into when lockdown ends. “House parties will return – and will be all the better when it’s safe to have them.”

Sergeant Geoff Catto said most people were behaving.