Extra police deployed in Dundee after 'reckless' rioting

Extra constabulary officers volition beryllium deployed connected the streets of Dundee 24 hours aft "reckless and deplorable" rioting, a constabulary main has said.

Riot officers were called successful connected Monday nighttime arsenic gangs of youths blocked roads with bonfires and hurled fireworks.

Drivers were forced to crook backmost from the fires and a Police Scotland chopper circled supra the area.

Chief Supt Phil Davison said nary arrests had been made truthful acold and determination were nary superior injuries.

But helium insisted officers were pursuing respective affirmative lines of enquiry and confirmed much officers would beryllium drafted successful to reassure the public.

He said: "I tin guarantee our section residents that determination volition beryllium an enhanced constabulary beingness successful the coming days.

"I afloat admit and recognize the distress caused to section residents.

"Nobody should beryllium successful their location and seeing the benignant of behaviour that we did past night."

The Halloween upset was besides condemned by Justice Minister Keith Brown successful effect to an urgent question astatine Holyrood.

The upset began connected Beauly Square successful the Kirkton country astatine astir 17:30 connected Monday and continued for respective hours.

Fireworks were thrown astatine the exigency services and 1 constabulary serviceman suffered a insignificant injury.

There were reports of vehicles being deed with bricks and radical jumping connected car roofs.

Ch Supt Davison said helium believed the bulk of the youths progressive were aged from 12 to precocious teens.

He described the archetypal outbreak of occupation arsenic "spontaneous" but said groups became much organised arsenic rioting spread.

"The behaviour we saw was perfectly deplorable," helium said. "It was reckless... and placed exigency services and communities astatine risk."

Videos connected societal media showed fires being lit connected the adjacent Balgowan Avenue and constabulary with riot shields attempting to incorporate the upset arsenic fireworks exploded adjacent to them.

Windows were besides smashed astatine adjacent St Paul's secondary school.

Local supermarket Asda has since removed fireworks from merchantability "due to caller disruption successful our section area".

Earlier the person of Dundee City Council, John Alexander, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland the images of the upset were "absolutely disgusting".

He added: "I've ne'er seen thing successful 34 years of having lived successful that country or, you know, covered that country successful my relation arsenic councillor, thing similar that.

"For each of those parents and children who past nighttime should person been a item for, it's present been a horrendous nighttime for them.

"And their experience, of course, is not thing that anybody should person to spell through."

At Holyrood, Justice Secretary Keith Brown was asked what the Scottish government's effect to the upset would be.

Mr Brown said the behaviour was "appalling and wholly unacceptable" portion the interaction connected the section assemblage and exigency services had been "extremely distressing".

He added: "I cognize that Police Scotland, the SFRS and section authorities person been making large efforts to forestall and respond efficaciously to immoderate upset successful the tally up to bonfire night, including done the police's Operation Moonbeam.

"We volition beryllium engaging further with these bodies and others to larn lessons and supply what further enactment we can."

Giving assurances astir aboriginal incidents, Mr Brown said the unit had been precise grateful for the other deployment of officers from different areas - adding this would beryllium factored into policing implicit the weekend.