THE appalling scenes on the streets of various towns and cities over the last few weeks have brought a number of things into sharp focus. 

The treatment and disrespect of minority groups, the spread of deliberately wrong and misleading information on the internet and social media, and the readiness of fringe, far-right groups to stir up trouble and hatred all need to be examined. 

Fortunately, Glasgow has been spared any major flashpoints, and that says a lot for the people of this city who are famously kind, welcoming and tolerant. 

And while that is worthy of praise, we should realise that we are not out of the woods. 

Although there mercifully haven’t been full-scale riots on Scottish streets, a number of people north of the border have been implicated in inciting trouble elsewhere. 

And let’s not forget that there are still rumblings of organised protests in future which could lead to the kind of ugly scenes we have witnessed in other UK places. 

There have been a number of eye-catching photographs and high-profile moments which have stuck out over this troubling period. 

Among them, pictures of brave police officers putting themselves in the line of danger – as they do so often away from the media glare – to keep people safe and maintain public order. 

The relentlessness with which these professionals put themselves in harm’s way without so much as a second’s thought has always astonished me, and to see it happen again in recent weeks shows just how committed and selfless they are. 

But the situation with policing in Scotland, and the possibility that they too may have to face up to riotous thugs, is a cause for concern. 

Earlier this month it was revealed the number of frontline officers in Scotland had fallen to its lowest number since 2007. 

The timestamp of 2007 is relevant for two reasons. Firstly because that was the year the SNP first came to power in Scotland, and also because it was the juncture at which policing numbers properly moved under the spotlight politically. 

It was a minority government, meaning the SNP had to make deals in order to get budgets and other legislation through successfully. 

Together with the Conservatives, the Scottish Government agreed to increase the policing headcount by 1000 to ease pressure on hardworking cops and to improve public safety and trust in the force. 

But since that commitment, and the formation years later of the single Police Scotland force, numbers have been on the slide. 

There is a variety of explanations for this, including pension issues, but ultimately a lack of funding by ministers and an absence of seriousness when it comes to the wellbeing of officers are primary reasons. 

The drop in numbers is making it harder for officers on the street, who are overwhelmed with paperwork and needless court citations. 

Criminals will be aware of the force’s capacity weakness and will exploit the situation if it goes on for much longer. 

The consequence of that, aside for a deterioration in public safety, will be policing becoming a less attractive career, and an ailing force will find it more difficult to bring in the recruits it needs. 

We’re fortunate to have escaped the disgusting scenes of elsewhere, but I know police on the ground are worried about coping with the scale of them if that changes.