101 penalties and 14 arrests as Police Scotland break up 300 house parties over weekend

Police Officers

Initial reports indicated that officers responded to at least 300 house parties across Scotland this weekend alone as new restrictions forcing hospitality venues to close by 10pm were enforced.

Analysis suggests these house parties are being held in every community and age group across the country.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a "big thank you" to students, saying that it's clear the "vast majority" of them had followed the rules over the weekend on not meeting other

households indoors and had followed the advice on staying away from pubs, cafes and restaurants.

She said: "Sticking to guidelines like that isn't easy especially in the early days of a university term but it will make a difference.

"The incubation period for this virus means I am absolutely sure that we will continue to see increased numbers of infections amongst students for several days to come and there

will always be a need for vigilance.

"But the responsibility that has been shown over the past few days will help our efforts to stem this spread and I want to say thank you for that."

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone voiced his concern about the rise of house parties but reiterated that the majority of the country are complying with lockdown rules which include

10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants and increased restrictions on indoor visits to private homes.

Additional officers were deployed to back up local authorities to ensure that hospitality venues closed at the curfew time with no issues.

The Chief Constable said: “Policing is here to support people and to help everyone to do the right thing, to prevent the spread of the virus. Officers will use good sense and

exercise the discretion that is integral to the office of Constable, to work with citizens to support the implementation of these new rules.

He added: “There is no doubt that house parties or house gatherings are not permitted and there can be no excuse for arranging, attending, or hosting a house

party.

“Where officers encounter blatant, wilful, or persistent breaches, we will take decisive action to enforce the law.”

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