21 December 2020 • 6:30pm
Border between Scotland and England on the A1 north of Berwick upon Tweed very quiet with few motorists, however frequent police patrols are evident
Credit: Iain Masterton / Alamy Live News
Drivers considering flouting Nicola Sturgeon s travel ban between England and Scotland should not chance it , her most senior police officer has warned them as he vowed to significantly toughen up enforcement.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, of Police Scotland, said they would notice a significant increase in visible presence from his officers at the English border, with the number of patrols doubling.
Speaking alongside Ms Sturgeon at her daily Covid briefing, he said his officers would be on the look-out for vehicles full of people or luggage.
Police Scotland will double its presence along the border with England but will not set up checkpoints and road blocks to enforce Nicola Sturgeon s coronavirus travel restrictions, Scotland s top police chief said today.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said that he does not consider draconian curbs on cross-border travel appropriate or proportionate as he doubled the number of officers in the Border areas.
In a statement, the Police Scotland chief said highly visible patrols would instead deter anyone who might be considering breaching the coronavirus travel restrictions .
Indoor mixing will only be allowed on Christmas Day and most of Scotland will be put into the highest level of lockdown from Boxing Day, with a strict travel ban preventing travel to other parts of the UK.
Police to double patrols in Scottish Borders amid blanket Christmas travel ban Police are to visibly step up patrols in Scotland to deter anyone considering breaching the new country-wide Christmas travel ban. A “strict travel ban” over the festive period was announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday amid rising concerns of a new strain of the virus. People have been told they should not travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK, except for essential reasons. Restrictions will come into force from 12am on Boxing Day. Police have reaffirmed that they do not believe checkpoints or road blocks would be appropriate to simply enforce travel restrictions , but they will double their operational presence in the Scottish Borders.
Police Scotland to double its presence in border areas as new restrictions are put in place scotsman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scotsman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Yesterday Police Scotland insisted people should take ‘personal responsibility to do the right thing’ and that enforcement would only be used ‘as a last resort’.
Mr Livingstone said: “I’ve completely underlined my compassion and concern for everyone affected by the highly restrictive measures which are, unfortunately, absolutely necessary to control the spread of the virus and, ultimately, protect life. Following the announcement by the First Minister, there can be no doubt that, other than for the most essential journeys, people should not be travelling between Scotland and other parts of the UK. Today, I have authorised the doubling of out operational presence in the Border areas of Scotland.