City centre to see more police patrols
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Helen Carmichael was responding to an incident which took place earlier this week and was posted online, showing a brawl that sees a man being thrown against a moving vehicle as members of the public attempt to intervene.
The video was filmed on Monday at around 3.34pm on Bridge Street and the clip was viewed more than 350,000 times before it was removed from Facebook.
It remained on Twitter, however, where it has also received hundreds of views.
A man has since pleaded guilty to two charges of assault following the incident.
Appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court on Tuesday Noel Sutherland (28) of Glendoe Terrace, Merkinch was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on September 28.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting two men on Bridge Street and Academy Street.
While not commenting on this specific incident Provost Carmichael said it, and others like it across the city centre which have previously grabbed the headlines, were a concern.
"I do think it sends out the wrong message about Inverness as a place to live, work and visit," she said.
"I’m concerned about the damage a few undesirables may be doing to the city’s reputation and that’s why in recent weeks the council, police and our partners in Inverness Business Improvement District (Bid) have been working much more closely together to hopefully try and nip this problem in the bud.
"I think there do need to be more police patrols in the city centre and I have assurances that they will be happening.
"The kind of behaviour that has been making the headlines is not typical of the vast majority of residents and visitors, but the impact of even a few incidents like this in terms of making it seem a place that people would not want to be is huge and one that we certainly want to tackle."
Police Scotland was asked to confirm whether city centre patrols will be increased – either in terms of numbers of patrols or frequency – but failed to respond before deadline.
Previously Inverness area commander, Chief Inspector Colin Gough, committed to looking at the issue.
"We are always considering our approach to policing the city centre and I will be carrying out a review to ensure I have the right people with the right skill set in the right place at the right time to provide the necessary visibility, reassurance and response," he said.
Previous recent postings that have cast the city centre in a poor light online have included a film of drunken men fighting in the street in the middle of the day.
Another clip depicted a drunken man being rescued from the River Ness and a third film involved a man who was so drunk he tried to use a bridge railing as a cash machine.
Fears over public safety were also raised after a woman was robbed and another was the victim of an attempted mugging in the space of four days last month.
In respect of the most recent incident police thanked members of the public who provided information about the incidents, allowing them to respond quickly and make an arrest.
