Operation Respect activity in Inverness city centre 

Issued by Police Scotland
 
Police in Inverness have been carrying out several activities in recent days under Operation Respect, which has the specific aim of targeting crime in the city centre. 

A  number of offences being detected by officers working in the area over the past few days.

These include seven people being charged in the last two days for offences in contravention of the city alcohol bye-laws.

These bye-laws are in place to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in public areas across the city, apart from in areas which specific licences granting permission. Anyone found in breach is putting themselves at risk of arrest.

A 31-year-old man was also arrested in connection with crimes of dishonesty in the city centre on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 9 after concern was raised by a member of the public about suspicious behaviour in the High Street and Eastgate areas.

Police Scotland will continue to work in partnership with other agencies such as Highland Council and Inverness BID to tackle anti-social behaviour around Inverness City Centre.

Inspector Alex Chisholm said: "Inverness city centre has always been a safe place to visit and work and Police Scotland is committed to keeping it that way.

"Any incident involving anti-social behaviour is disappointing but I hope this recent activity shows Police will deal with concerns.

"We do this by carrying out regular and highly visible patrols in the area at all hours of the day, which is a tried and tested approach to community policing..

"We also act on information received from the public and I am grateful to everyone who passes on information which helps us keep the city centre a safe place.

"Anyone with any concerns about anti-social or suspicious behaviour should not hesitate to call us on 101."

All of this work is carried out under Operation Respect - a long-running partnership initiative specifically aimed at keeping the streets of Inverness safe for visitors, shoppers and businesses.

Among the aims of the operation are tackling issues such as anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug misuse and associated criminality.