Police Scotland have confirmed they made more than 1000 arrests in the country over the weekend with the coronavirus lockdown rules having been relaxed.
Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr took to Twitter this morning to confirm the number, while also praising the 'extraordinary effort' of officers throughout Scotland for their response.
He said: "With more people out and about, crime rates have been increasing too. Police Scotland made over 1000 arrests during the weekend. Please keep yourself safe, and behave responsibly.
"Many thanks again to all @policescotland officers and staff on duty during the last 72 hrs, policing and supporting communities across Scotland. We managed 32,099 calls from the public, 8,073 of which were 999 calls and we attended 15,773 wide-ranging incidents nationwide.
"Extraordinary effort by all our staff during #Phase 1 of Scottish Government’s changes to the #coronavirus restrictions in some challenging, but beautiful sunny weather conditions. Please continue to follow @scotgov advice on distancing - only call 999 if it’s an emergency."
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Constable also stressed the need for continuation of 'mutual trust and respect' between the police and the public during these times.
"Good to see that levels of public confidence and support for @policescotland remain high. These are undoubtedly challenging times, but mutual trust and respect - between the public and their police service - remains the foundation of #policingbyconsent in Scotland."
