The number of police officers patrolling the order between Scotland and England will be doubled to deter people breaking the new travel ban, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has said.
Last night Nicola Sturgeon banned cross-border travel between Scotland and the rest of the UK in the hope of stopping the spread of the new more transmissible strain of Covid-19.
Mr Livingstone said: “I remain clear I do not consider it appropriate or proportionate for officers to establish check points or road blocks to simply enforce travel restrictions.
“These restrictions are a preventative measure to halt the progress of Covid and Police Scotland will support this approach with a strong operational profile to deter those who would put others at risk.
“Today, I have authorised the doubling of our operational presence in the Border areas of Scotland.
“These highly visible patrols will be proactively deployed on our road networks to continue our operational activity to ensure drivers and vehicles are in a fit condition to drive. The patrols will also deter anyone who might be considering breaching the coronavirus travel restrictions.”
He added: “Though the rules have changed often and, at times, quickly, officers and staff will continue with common sense, empathy and discretion to work with our fellow citizens to help keep everyone safe.”
