He said, “There is some clear evidence that criminals are coming up from south of the border, not just from Liverpool, with the intent to pursue organised crime.

“However, our detection rates are very good and we are intervening at the earliest opportunity to target these individuals.

“This work is very much supported by the court with some cases including conditions to exclude the individuals from Dundee, which is a great help.”

Mr McCashey warned police would not simply focus on dealing, but also the associated pitfalls of drugs.

He explained, “It’s not just dealing, it’s the related problems such as anti-social behaviour and the increase in drug paraphernalia. All these instances are being put before the court and dealt with.”

The central divisional commander confirmed there had been a sudden spike in the number of robberies in the city due to the influx.

However, he stressed that the incidents were not pre-meditated and more often than not were random attacks.

He said, “Stolen goods are the currency of many users. Normally, it's not a problem for dealers to shift radios, CD players or mobile phones but the ‘out of town’ dealers can’t move the goods on.

“They're demanding cash-in-hand, which has led some desperate drug users to carry out random attacks on shops and pedestrians.”

Mr McCashey rubbished claims in a national newspaper that a senior Merseyside detective had said Scousers looked at Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness, as well as other regions of the UK as a bit soft.

Instead Mr McCashey believes Dundee’s strong reaction to the influx from England sent out a strong message that they would not be welcome in the city.

He added, “The people of Dundee will not welcome them. Tayside Police and the courts will support that view.”

Merseyside Police declined to comment on the comments said to have been made by one of their force’s detectives.