Shoppers were left shocked as armed police walked into a Highland supermarket – and then sat down to have their breakfast.
The four officers were all carrying handguns when they stopped for a meal at the branch of Tesco.
The incident happened despite assurances from the force that sidearms would only be used in “special circumstances”.
Last night, Police Scotland insisted the officers seen in the Dingwall store yesterday morning were doing “absolutely nothing wrong“.
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But there were calls for an investigation into the “worrying incident”.
The sight of armed officers in communities in the north became common in 2013 when a policy was introduced allowing them to carry handguns with them at all times while on duty.
But after concerns raised by politicians then-chief constable Sir Stephen House said specialist armed officers would only be deployed to firearms incidents or when there was a threat to life.
The public outcry in the Highlands was particularly vocal given the region’s low crime rates.
An eyewitness who was eating in the Tesco cafe yesterday said the officers came through the main entrance at about 9.30am, walked past him and through to the back cafe, and were there for about 30 minutes.
The man said the staff cafe is visible from where customers are served at the public cafe counter.
He added: “My concern is if a little old lady or family is in there and sees four police officers with guns they will be worried about what is going on. It can cause undue alarm and it’s not good for public confidence.
“They should be able to lock them away securely in a car boot while going for breakfast. It’s not as if there is likely to be danger in the minute it takes to get to the cafe. It’s almost as if they are doing it with a certain arrogance.”
Highland and Islands Conservative MSP Douglas Ross said: “In the past there has been concerns raised locally and in parliament about armed officers visibly showing arms when not on call and assurances were made that this practice would not continue.
“This is a worrying incident and I expect the local force in Police Scotland to comment on the fact there were up to four officers in a Tesco store early on Sunday morning when there was no emergency for them to deal with.”
Dingwall and Seaforth councillor Graham MacKenzie said: “I am surprised to hear this and I will be asking the local police commander what the situation was. I would not want local people to be alarmed by seeing this.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “These officers were doing absolutely nothing wrong.
“Police Scotland’s standing firearms authority means that there is a chance that members of the public will see a small number of our officers in public places wearing sidearms.
“Armed officers must wear their sidearm while on duty at all times, but are only sent to incidents where an armed response is deemed necessary or there is an immediate threat to life.”
In April last year a police officer was photographed carrying a firearm inside Inverness train station despite assurances from police chiefs that sidearms would only be deployed under special circumstances.
A Tesco spokeswoman declined to comment.
