A crackdown on convicted criminals who try to avoid their punishment has been hailed a success by police.
Operation DEKA was launched on the first day of September to target criminals wanted on warrant throughout the north and north-east for offences involving violence, drugs and antisocial behaviour.
Last night, the force revealed that more than 340 people across the region had been arrested so far for failing to appear at court, failure to comply with court orders and non-payment of fines.
More than 680 warrants have been executed and offenders who have failed to pay an accumulated debt of more than £65,500 have also been dealt with.
Officers have also arrested nine people on Extract Conviction Warrants, which sends people directly to prison to serve a sentence.
Last night, Assistant Chief Constable Campbell Thomson, who is responsible for policing in the north of Scotland, said there was no hiding place for people who defied the law.
He said the force was delivering on its promise to communities across the north and north-east to target those responsible for crime.
“Operation DEKA involves a number of different partners, increases our visibility and demonstrates to members of the public that the police and partners are working hard to bring offenders to justice,” he said.
In Aberdeen alone, 255 warrants have been executed since September 1 and 101 offenders have been arrested.
Offenders with an accumulated debt of £23,092 have also been dealt with.
Inspector Douglas Rae, of the Aberdeen Division Violence Reduction Unit, said he was “delighted” with the results.
“Officers have been working hard with our local partners to locate and apprehend individuals throughout Aberdeen who are wanted in relation to a variety of crimes and offences,” he said.
“In Aberdeen, officers also detected over 30 newly reported crimes and recovered quantities of drugs and recovered an air weapon from an individual in the city-centre.
“Moving forward, we will continue to work with our partners and communities to target those who cause the most harm in our area.”