Children under 16 have been banned from venturing out unsupervised after 9pm on three housing estates in Hamilton, near Glasgow.

As darkness fell, six police officers - accompanied by up to 50 journalists and photographers - began the first patrols of the Child Safety Initiative.

The BBC's Scotland Correspondent, Andrew Cassell, said the spectacle drew adults onto their doorsteps and prompted groups of children to engage in noisy banter with officers.

By the end of the two-hour operation eight children - four boys and four girls aged between 11 and 14 - had been taken home to their parents.

The officer in charge, Chief Superintendent Jim Elliott, said he considered the first night had been a success.

Police deny the scheme is a curfew but youth and civil liberties groups object to what they see as an infringement of rights.

Civil liberties groups are unhappy with the scheme

The initiative, run jointly by Strathclyde Police and South Lanarkshire Council, is intended to cut down on vandalism, graffiti and under-age drinking.

John Orr, Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, says another aim is to protect the welfare of children on the streets.

The operation is a result of a "citizen's jury", a new scheme based on similar ones in Germany and the United States, where residents and community leaders are brought together. After questioning expert witnesses, they come up with ideas to cut crime in their area.

As well as a curb on youngsters, locals in Strathclyde said they also wanted more special constables, counselling for people with addictions and action to be taken against shopkeepers who sell alcohol to under-age drinkers.

But a word of warning came from Stuart Waiton, of the Campaign Against the Curfew.

"Just about every child I work with has been searched by Strathclyde police - even those going to Sunday school," he said.

Police deny the scheme is a curfew

"I accept that most people are in favour of the curfew but is it the case that adults are just becoming less confident about dealing with children?