Anyone involved in disorder should expect to get arrested – senior policeman

Anyone who was involved in the violence or disorder in Scotland on Wednesday night should “expect to see the police and get arrested”, a senior officer has said.

Demonstrations and protests were held in several locations across Scotland following a stabbing attack on Monday night in North Belfast.

Sudanese man Hadi Alodid, 30, has appeared in court charged with the attack, with the 44-year-old victim, Stephen Ogilvie, said to have lost an eye as a result.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, spoke to the media in Fife on Wednesday after three men, one aged 31 and the others aged 18, were arrested following unrest in Glasgow.

If you were involved in violence or disorder last night, you should expect to see the police and get arrested

He said the largest demonstration, which took place in Glasgow, involved approximately 250 people.

“Whilst the majority demonstrated peacefully, a group of approximately 40 people who joined this protest seemed intent on committing violence and disorder,” Mr Waddell said.

“During this disorder, we believe members of the public were attacked because of the colour of their skin, and officers were also attacked.”

Three members of the public and two police officers were injured during the unrest.

Waddell said there will “absolutely” be more arrests in the coming days.

“There’s an inquiry team looking at the incidents from last night,” he said.

“That will take a little bit of time to make sure we’re capturing witness statements and CCTV, but if you were involved in violence or disorder last night, you should expect to see the police and get arrested.”

Waddell said police attended “disruptive but peaceful” demonstrations in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Perth, Ayr, and Paisley, and no arrests were made.

Police are not expecting to see more unrest on Wednesday evening, but Mr Waddell said officers are ready to respond if necessary.

He said: “We’re not expecting trouble tonight, but I’ll be very clear, we have a plan in place around about increased visible resources, increased visible officers, and we’re absolutely ready to respond, should we start to see any protests or an increase in tensions.”

He said the Police Service of Northern Ireland have asked for support in the form of public order officers.

Mr Waddell said: “We’re reviewing our capacity to do that, but we will support them if we can.”