POLICE have installed alarms and panic buttons at the home of an SNP MP after she and her family were sent death threats.

Former NHS consultant Dr Lisa Cameron said the threats began the day after she was elected MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, and included images of beheaded corpses and wording cut out from newspapers sent through the post.

Police have also upped security at the MP's constituency office.

Ms Cameron spoke out about the threats as it was revealed a police team set up to handle crimes against MPs has dealt with 53 complaints since the murder of Jo Cox.

She told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "I went from being a doctor in the local community where I was well-respected and would never have received this type of threats online or via mail to having received death threats where images of beheaded corpses were sent to me with threats towards myself and my children and family’s lives.

"Someone had put together a letter from newspaper word cuttings and sent it to me also threatening to harm me and my family."

She added: "The security measures are a step in the right direction, and I have to say that following the election and having come from the NHS and having seen the level of security and staff safety policy there I was actually quite shocked that MPs at that stage had very little in terms of risk management procedures in place.

"I can say that it (the threats) did happen almost instantaneously from moving from one career to the next and that was the defining change that I experience, so, yes it was almost like I was fair game and certainly that my children and family were then fair game too, which I think isn’t right."

The MP continued: "The police have been out to the constituency office and installed alarms at my home and also some panic buttons.

"I have to say that I had moved to the countryside in a sense to have my family so that I wouldn’t need these procedures but I do think we need to take appropriate risk management seriously now."

She said she had considered her future as an MP.

She said: "I think you always have to take account of the impact on your family.

"I’ve put myself in public life and I didn’t want to have a negative impact on them.

"However, I grew up in the constituency that I represent and it is a very real privilege to represent them and to do my very best for them and so it is something that I am hoping with appropriate risk management measures in place that we can all feel much more secure."

Ms Cameron previously worked with patients with mental health problems and learning difficulties and has also been an expert witness in the Scottish court system, working in cases of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The specialist police squad has received 33 reports of malicious communications - which can include Twitter trolling - as well as 13 reports of theft, four allegations of criminal damage and three reports of harassment.

Almost £640,000 has been spent on MPs' security since Mrs Cox's death on June, 16 2016.

The Labour MP for Batley and Spen was shot and stabbed by Thomas Mair in Birstall, West Yorkshire.