Police Scotland issued hundreds of personal safety and threat notices

Police have issued ­hundreds of warnings to members of the public over threats to their lives and personal safety.

A total of 36 'threat to life' warnings were made between 2014 and 2016

Figures from Police Scotland obtained by The Scotsman show 36 “threat to life” warning notices were made between 2014 and 2016, with a further 277 personal safety warnings issued during the same period. The force declined to release figures for 2017, amid concerns those involved could be identified.

Threat to life warnings are issued when police believe a person is at serious risk but officers do not have enough evidence to make an arrest.

Their introduction ­followed a 1998 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that the Metropolitan Police had breached the right to life of businessman Ali Osman by not acting on information about his safety. He was murdered in 1988.