Officers have mounted high-visibility patrols at a number of busy locations across the region as part of Counter Terrorism Awareness Week which runs to Sunday December 4.
Police Scotland chose so-called ‘Black Friday,’ one of the busiest shopping days of the year, to help launch the campaign north of the border.
Local officers were out and about distributing leaflets and meeting the public and store staff at a number of locations, which attract large numbers of people.
They included the Gretna Gateway Outlet Village, which was doing a brisk trade with Christmas shoppers as the ‘Black Friday’ sales got underway.
The initiative was partly driven by an opinion survey that showed countering any terrorism threat rated highly as a priority for police among the Scottish public.
Inspector Sharon Tait, of Police Scotland’s Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Unit, was among the officers at the border complex.
She said: “Our aim is to raise awareness on our efforts to counter the threat of terrorism and provide reassurance to our communities.”
Officers provided safety and security advice in relation to crowded public spaces and urged the public across the region to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour.
However, Inspector Tait stressed: “This initiative is not being carried out in response to any specific intelligence but to ensure our communities have all the information and support they require.”
HOME PAGE PICTURE CAPTION:
BEING VIGILANT . . . Police Scotland provided information and advice to shoppers and staff at Gretna Gateway Outlet Village. Left to right are: Inspector Sharon Tait; Lisa McNab, Gateway marketing manager; Karen Wilson, manager of the Molton Brown store and PC Jane Dunbar
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