Police Scotland ready to take action over 'killer clown' craze
POLICE have vowed to clamp down on yobs dressing up as clowns to terrorise people.
Police have warned the clowns not to cause any harm or distress to the public
They spoke out after the so-called "killer clown" craze that started in the USA reached Scotland. People wearing clown masks and acting suspiciously have been seen across the country, with Police Scotland investigating several "sporadic reports".
The craze has become more common in the USA and has led to copycat incidents here, with victims reportedly targeted in Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Ayr.
A Facebook page called 'Killer Clowns in and around Glasgow' said a clown had been spotted underneath a bridge.
The post was shared more than 1,000 times before the poster admitted the picture had been taken elsewhere. Police Scotland Superintendent David Duncan said: "We have had a few sporadic reports of individuals dressed as clowns in some areas in Scotland.
"It is assessed that there is a current trend of similar incidents on social media, many of which have been confirmed as hoaxes and emanate overseas.
The craze started in the USA but has now spread to the UK
Any person seeking to cause potential harm should be aware that police will take action
"The reports which have been made to local police officers are being investigated and do not specifically involve threats or violence.
"However, any person seeking to cause distress and potential harm should be aware that police will take action."
The clowns have forced school closures across the States
HORRIFIC killer clowns TERRORISE a group of women
Police in Manchester Gloucestershire and Merseyside have issued warning about the clowns
The craze has led to more than a dozen arrests in the USA and forced school closures. Police warnings have been issued in Wales, Manchester, Gloucester-shire, Merseyside and Northumbria.
A knife-wielding "killer clown" jumped out at four children aged 11 and 12 and pursued them on their way to the Hermitage
Academy in Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, last Friday. In Suffolk, a boy "younger than a teenager" was chased by "several people dressed as clowns" in Sudbury last Thursday.