Police have confirmed they are continuing to hunt for a person wanted on a warrant, after they surrounded a house at gunpoint in Elgin on Tuesday night.
In what residents described as like “a scene from a TV drama” armed officers swooped on a residential area of the north-east town – but did not discover the person they were looking for.
Streets were cordoned off throughout the area as officers attended the scene and local residents spoke later about their alarm at seeing officers with firearms.
A police spokeswoman thanked the public for their patience yesterday, but added that because the wanted person is part of an ongoing investigation, they would not be releasing any further information about the operation.
One neighbour, who didn’t want to be named, said: “People are very frightened with all the guns they had on them, and the police dogs at the scene.
“It was obviously a highly-planned police operation. It looked like a scene from a TV programme like Line of Duty. I couldn’t believe that it was happening in Elgin.”
On social media, residents shared concerns about not knowing who the police were looking for, with Brian Sutherland summing up the anxiety in the community, arguing that the public were “well within their rights to know who it is for their own safety”.
A police spokeswoman said: “Officers attended at Councillors Walk in Elgin yesterday evening as part of ongoing inquiries to trace a person wanted on warrant.
“Inquiries remain ongoing and the local community is thanked for its patience.”