Armed man arrested after canal drama at Auchinstarry

Police received a tip-off around 7pm on Saturday that a male was behaving suspiciously at the complex - and that he had a knife.

When officers arrived at the complex, they spotted him dumping the weapon and running from the scene.

A lengthy pursuit pursued on foot - and the officers opted to seek the assistance of the force’s helicopter which was scrambled shortly afterwards.

The suspect ultimately ended up in the Forth and Clyde canal in his quest to dodge officers.

However, it has been confirmed that he was arrested shortly afterwards on a number of different charges.

Reavealing that the man involved was a 35-year-old from the Kilsyth area, Communities Inspector Neil MacLeod said: “The man has been charged with possession of a knife, threatening and abusive behaviour, attempting to pervert the course of justice and failing to adhere to the new Coronavirus laws.”

When asked more generally about the challenges of policing the area in a time of lockdown, the inspector said: “I’m encouraged to see that on the whole there has been a good level of adherence to the restrictions and this is in spite of the recent good weather and our local community is to be commended for this.

“I would hope our communities are encouraged by the increased level of foot and mobile patrols within their area and I have seen first hand the positive response we have received from providing that visible presence.

“All I would ask is that people continue to adhere to the widely publicised guidance.”