Hard-pressed police officers are being called to deal with crimes as serious as assault and sexual offences in court buildings across the north and north-east.
Figures obtained by the Press and Journal through Freedom of Information legislation have revealed the number of incidents police have to investigate at court.
While the buildings have their own security guards, and police officers are usually stationed inside, more officers are regularly being drafted in to help with certain situations.
The findings have led to fears that resources are being stretched thin.
The statistics show that, between 2016 and last year, officers were called to 197 incidents across the north and north-east, of which 51 were classed as “recorded crimes”.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court topped the list for the north-east with 146 incidents and 34 crimes over the three-year-period.
Police were called to investigate 13 intruder offences, five complaints about drug misuse and two thefts there in the three-year spell.
Three incidents during that time were classed as “hate crimes” and one, in 2016, was a sexual offence.
While some of the calls were classed as “assisting a member of the public” or “concern for a person”, some 22 alleged assaults were investigated across courts in the north and north-east.
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There were three assaults recorded at Elgin Sheriff Court in 2016, but none in 2017 and only one in 2018.
Police were also called to three assaults in Peterhead Sheriff Court in 2016, none in 2017 and one in 2018.
The figures showed that no crimes took place at Inverness Sheriff Court from 2016-2018, and only two incidents were recorded at Wick – both in 2018.
Officers were called to Stornoway Sheriff Court once, in 2018, to assist a member of the public and to Tain once that same year in relation to a disturbance.
North-east MSP Liam Kerr, the Conservative shadow justice secretary, said: “The last thing our over-stretched police force needs is to have officers dragged off the streets to tackle crime in our court buildings.
“It beggars belief that these type of criminal acts are taking place inside courts.
“But these figures simply highlight the pressure our court system and hard-working staff are under.”
A Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) spokesman said: “The safety and wellbeing of SCTS staff and court users is very important. All assaults are treated extremely seriously, and matters are reported to the police.”
A police spokeswoman declined to comment on the figures.
