A crackdown on violent crime in the north-east has been hailed a success by police chiefs.
Officers from the Aberdeenshire and Moray divisional violence reduction unit (DVRU) have ramped up patrols in some of the region’s biggest towns, including Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Elgin and Inverurie.
Yesterday, area commander for Aberdeenshire South division, chief inspector Richard Craig, said the resulting figures were proof the crackdown had a positive impact on safety in the area.
Since the launch of Operation Sandside on October 30, the force has taken a “robust” stance on offenders, acting on warrants for those wanted for violent crimes.
Additionally they have been visiting the homes of known violent offenders to make sure they are complying with the conditions of any bail terms.
Officers have also been visiting licensed premises and speaking to punters and bar staff to prevent incidents of violence from breaking out.
The last weekend of October and the week following is one of the busiest times of year for police, encompassing both Halloween and Bonfire Night events.
Yesterday, it was revealed Operation Sandside has so far resulted in a 41% reduction in the number of assaults that took place in towns and villages across Aberdeenshire and Moray compared to 2014.
Mr Craig, who led the crack-down, said: “The highlight for us was there was a 41% reduction in the number of assaults compared to the same period for last year in relation to Halloween week. That is significant for us.
“A number of offenders have now been detected and reported to the criminal justice system. Other highlights were our officers carried out 222 visits to licensed premises as a result of a week of operations.
“The results would show the approach to violence is paying dividends in Aberdeenshire and Moray.
“It has certainly highlighted to us that if we put our resources in the right areas at the right time, targeting the right people, then it has an effect on violent crime.”
He added that Sandside had been a partnership approach which would “not let up”.
Mr Craig added: “The work of the DVRU and the work with the licensed standard officers and community safety partnerships doesn’t let up – that will continue as we continue we are planning for Festive Sandside – which will commence in early December.
“Aberdeenshire is a relatively safe place. People can go out and enjoy their weekend socialising in the various towns and villages but for these involved in violence-related disorder we will take a very robust approach in the dealing with them.”