Glasgow anti-social behaviour dispersal zone extended until December
BBCGlasgow's city centre dispersal zone is set to continue until December as part of a crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour.
A Police Scotland report revealed dispersal powers had been used 1,362 times since they were introduced in March.
Officers are able to ban groups of two or more people from the area for 24 hours if their behaviour is "impacting on the safety and well-being" of others.
The area covered includes Union Street, St Enoch Square and the Four Corners, where there are concerns about drug dealing and other behaviour.
Chief Supt Emma Croft said a decision had been taken to extend the dispersal zone from the initial deadline of 20 June until December.
She told the Safe Glasgow meeting that there was a focus on police visibility and "taking action where appropriate".
The Greater Glasgow divisional commander also raised the possibility of officers occupying premises in the area.
Chief Supt Croft said this would increase visibility while working with council enforcement officers and third sector partners.
She also highlighted the underlying issues behind criminal behaviour and said the way forward was to provide signposting to support services.
In June, BBC Disclosure spent a week filming in Glasgow city centre and captured people openly taking drugs, as well as thefts, arrests, and a brawl.
Dispersal zone powers were introduced in Scotland under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004.
A review carried out three years later, found they had been used on 14 occasions in 11 separate areas including in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen.
But they have also been used in smaller towns like Dumfries and Dingwall - and one was once imposed on an entire village, Mid Calder in West Lothian.
The powers gave officers a new way of dealing with behaviour that while being anti-social, was not serious enough to merit stronger enforcement action.
Failing to comply with a dispersal order became a criminal offence which could lead to arrest under the act.
More recently the dispersal powers have been used alongside new Firework Control Zones in parts of Edinburgh following repeated incidents around Bonfire Night.
