The latest campaign which was part of Operation Dry Up saw police, along with Tayside Council on Alcohol (TCA) and criminal justice, take drunk children from the streets to the station where their parents were called to come and collect them.

When the parents arrived, they were then spoken to by TCA and criminal justice to inform them about the risks and dangers associated with children drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

Inspector Callum Leith said there was a reduction in the number of children brought to the police station compared to previous initiatives and he hopes the message about under-age drinking is getting through to youngsters.

He told the Herald: "In total 10 children were brought to the police station and their parents were summoned to come and collect them.

"The operation was a success but the children who were brought to the station had clearly been drinking and we have to keep making a sustained effort along with the other agencies involved.

"The parents we spoke to seemed to be supportive of the police along TCA and criminal justice in our campaign and we hope to get their continuing support."

However, Inspector Leith warns that the police will be still be pursuing a tough approach to off licenses that sell alcohol to under-age children and that adults buying alcohol to give to children will also face the consequences.

He added: "It was brought to our attention that children are sometimes asking passers-by to go into shops and buy them alcohol and we would like to put the message out that this will not be tolerated.

"We understand that it can be frightening for people if they are approached by a group of young people but they need to be responsible adults and refuse to buy it.

"If not, we will be charging people and reporting them to the procurator fiscal."

Elizabeth D'Arcy, a senior practitioner at TCA, also noted the decrease in the amount of children being drunk on Friday night and says educating youngsters is the best way to try and solve the problem.

She said: "In my view there were fewer children brought to the police station so hopefully the dangers about drinking too much is being taken in by children.

"We know that young people will want to experiment with alcohol but TCA has been out in schools trying to inform them about the health issues and risky behaviour that can come from drinking too much alcohol.

"It is all about educating youngsters to make informed choices and if parents talk to their children about this at a young age, the more successful this is."

Inspector Leith praised the work of the TCA and says a major part of these operations is allowing them time to talk to children and parents at the police station.

He concluded: "I would like to thank TCA as well as criminal justice for their efforts and the hard work they put into these operations.

"It is about the police providing the time to allow these agencies to talk to children and their parents as a future precautionary measure."