Police Scotland has praised the public for their help and cooperation during the referendum.

Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said, “It is to everyone’s credit that they remained calm on a day of potentially high emotion and cooperated fully with our police officers and also the staff at polling places on a day when record numbers turned out to vote.

“This meant the ballot and count passed off smoothly and there were just a very few isolated incidents across the country involving a small number of alleged offences.

“Police Scotland had plans in place to ensure the safety and security of the referendum and these worked.

“I would also like to thank our police officers across the country for the hard work and effort they put in to ensure the day went well.

Mr Higgins confirmed that over the period of the referendum ballot and count there were six arrests across the country mainly for alleged breaches of the peace and assaults.

He added, “As we move forward the public can be assured Police Scotland is committed to keeping people safe. We will respond appropriately and proportionately to any issues which may arise.”