BBC Disclosure Films 2,800 Crimes on Glasgow's Union Street as 1,500 Dispersal Notices Fail
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17
BBC Disclosure Films 2,800 Crimes on Glasgow's Union Street as 1,500 Dispersal Notices Fail
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 17
Summary
BBC Disclosure said a week of filming in Glasgow city centre captured open drug dealing, thefts, arrests, brawls and threats to its own crew near Central Station and St Enoch Square.
2,800 crimes have been recorded on Union Street since 2023, while more than 1,500 dispersal notices have been issued since March; police said child exploitation drives some street dealing and young runners often evade charges.
400-plus violent assaults were logged last year in the streets and square covered by the dispersal zone, and Scottish government figures show reported rapes, attempted rapes and sexual assaults across Glasgow rose 11% in five years.
Racial tension has sharpened the disorder: a shop manager said he faces abuse about 20 times a day, Police Scotland warned misinformation fuels intolerance, and recent anti-immigration protests in the city centre turned violent.
Police and the council said high-visibility patrols and expanded CCTV are meant to keep the centre welcoming, but residents, workers and drivers told the BBC the drug problem is simply being shifted around the city.