Police Scotland have rubbished claims that an official warning was issued because of fears of “threatening behaviour” from SNP supporters at the polls.

A media frenzy was whipped up this morning over allegations that the police and the Electoral Commission were expecting trouble because of an online campaign asking people to watch out for poll irregularities.

“Radical SNP activists could cause chaos at polls” trumpeted the Daily Express while the Daily Record and Daily Mail claimed the police had warned of “threatening behaviour” by SNP supporters who planned to follow ballot boxes to counting centres.



However a police spokesman said yesterday: “We have issued no warnings.”

And despite The National making that clear, broadcasters continued to claim otherwise long into the afternoon.



Similar claims were made during the Referendum, later denied by the police, that they were preparing for violence by SNP supporters. There was no trouble at the polls but the vote was followed by unionists rioting on September 19.

Yesterday’s story originated in the Guardian which claimed: “Police and election officials in Scotland have issued warnings to polling stations and local commanders after radical nationalists urged voters to photograph their ballot papers and follow ballot boxes to count centres on Thursday night.”

This was based on the launch of an online campaign urging people to watch out for irregularities at the election counts, following claims that last year’s Referendum result was fixed to favour the No vote.

Even though this was rejected by all the parties, including the SNP, a request was sent out online this week asking people to photographing their ballot papers at the polling station after checking to make sure they carried valid security markings then, if possible, follow the vans carrying the votes to the polling stations to make sure they arrived safely.

Simon Lott, a director of Glasgow-based Spectrum Systems, where the advice sheet apparently originated, told the Guardian the monitoring was intended to be peaceful and law abiding.

Despite this the paper went on to claim that both the police and the election authorities in Scotland had warned polling officials about the risk of trouble.

However while Police Scotland said they were aware of the online advice which, according to the Guardian, was called “Operation Scallop”, they denied any warnings had been issued.

Chief Superintendent Jim Baird said: “We are aware of this however we will not comment on specific details of security arrangements. I would like to take this opportunity to assure the public that appropriate policing and security arrangements will be put in place to ensure the election process runs smoothly. The safety and security of the process is a top priority for Police Scotland and we have been liaising with the Electoral Commission and returning officers and will continue to do so throughout.”

The media also picked up on the Guardian’s claim that “formal warnings” were sent by election authorities to polling officers to watch out for any “disruption” or “threatening behaviour”.

Again, while the Electoral Commission did give advice on people taking “selfies” or “boothies” in the polling stations as well as the issue of people following the vans with the ballot boxes, the guidance did not mention any risk of trouble.

The Commission’s statement read: “On the question of members of the public following the vans etc employed to deliver the ballot boxes from polling places to count centres we are aware of talk of such activity being undertaken on social media. In our view there is nothing in electoral law which prevents such activity and indeed occurs on occasion although we understand the incidence of this is rare. The question of public safety and that of the highway is of course a matter for Police Scotland to deal with.”

The Commission went on to say that the law relating to voters taking “selfies” in polling stations was complex.

“Whether an offence has been committed would depend on a number of factors, including whether the photograph was shared with others and what the photograph showed. Given the risk that someone taking a photo inside a polling station may be in breach of the law, whether intentionally or not, our advice is that you should not allow photos to be taken inside polling stations.

“Returning Officers should ensure that all polling station staff are aware of this guidance. We also suggested that Returning Officers consider displaying a notice inside polling stations to make clear that photography of any kind (including photos taken on mobile phones) is not permitted.”