He described the scenes as “horrific”, also telling the BBC programme: “There are almost no polite words left to describe how bad the events [were] in Glasgow at the weekend – and indeed the wider west of Scotland.
“Many of the officers who are quite long in the tooth have probably quite rightly described it as some of the worst violence that they’ve experienced in over 20 years of police service.”
He said those criticising the police do not understanding policing tactics, adding: “There is no way that a police service of almost any size could have stopped that number of people moving and gathering – equally there may well be legitimate questions to ask about whether the gathering should have been broken up at an earlier stage, or notices to disperse the crowd should be given at an earlier stage.