Police Scotland has launched an online tool that allows members of the public to report ongoing Covid-19 breaches.
The form, which was first made public in December, allows people to report any breaches of relevant restrictions in place across Scotland.
With much of the country in Level 4, it is hoped that the new tool can all reports of breaches to be carried out.
Under Level 4, people should not be meeting in each other houses or have large gatherings.
How can I report a rule breach?
You can report a breach taking part in Scotland by accessing the form HERE.
The form is for reporting breaches and is not meant for reporting emergencies with the police still advising members of the public to call 999 in an emergency.
Can I report historical breaches?
The reporting tool does not allow for incidents in the past to be reported, but ongoing or live incidents can be flagged to the force.
Therefore you cannot report if someone breached the rules with say a New Year party through the toolkit.
What rules are in place for breaching Covid rules?
On 28 August the police were given the power to break up house parties contravening social gathering rules.
Police can instruct gatherings that flaunt the rules to stop and if this is not followed, a police officer may issue a fixed penalty notice for £60. This will be reduced to £30 if it is paid within 28 days.
If a person has already received a fixed penalty notice, the amount will increase to £120 and double on each further repeat offence up to a maximum of £960.
What have the police said about the toolkit?
Chief Superintendent Roddy Newbigging said: "An online form is already available to allow the public to report lower-level complaints and help ease the demand on our 101 and 999 services, particularly during December which is the busiest month for our control rooms.
"A separate form has now been introduced which people can use to report ongoing breaches of coronavirus regulations in Scotland.
"We would always encourage anyone to contact the police if they have concerns that someone is breaking the law, but people shouldn’t have to do that.
“People shouldn't have to call about their neighbours because everyone should be taking responsibility to do the right thing to help stop the spread of coronavirus."
Our online reporting tool for reporting #COVID19 breaches is now live ➡️ https://t.co/vs7uwvdBUz
— Police Scotland (@policescotland) January 2, 2021
Make sure you understand the rules around gatherings for your area, via @scotgov, before you get in touch with us. pic.twitter.com/A4f9pGCqKo
Sharing the toolkit on social media, Police Scotland wrote "Our online reporting form for reporting #COVID19 breaches is now live."
"Make sure you understand the rules around gatherings for your area, via The Scottish Government, before you get in touch with us."
They added: "Don't call 101 or 999 for guidance on #COVID19 restrictions. Misuse of 101 and 999 could cost lives. You can report an ongoing breach of COVID-19 restrictions in Scotland using our online form."
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