Police officer numbers remain above Scottish Government target

The number of police officers north of the border has remained just above the level pledged by the Scottish Government, official figures have confirmed.

At the end of last year there were 17,263 officers – up three on three months earlier and 29 more than a minimum set by government. 

Ministers have had a commitment in place since 2007 to maintain officer numbers above 17,234, a policy that has come under increased scrutiny as Police Scotland looks to balance budgets.

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The Scottish Liberal Democrats claimed the move to a single force has been a “disaster” for civilian staff, accusing the SNP administration of a “one-dimensional approach” to policing.  

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: “This government is dedicated to protecting local communities and, with crime at a 41 year low, Scotland is the safest it has been for over a generation.

“This reduction in crime levels is supported by our continued commitment to delivering 1,000 more officers compared to 2007, a commitment we remain dedicated to and continue to deliver against.

“By contrast, police numbers in England and Wales have already fallen by 16,800 since 2007 to their lowest level since 2000. If numbers in Scotland had been cut at the same rate between these dates, we would have 2,922 fewer officers than our commitment.”

However, Scottish Lib Dems justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes claimed the “spin the Justice Secretary has put on police numbers disguises the real situation”.

“Officers should be out on the ground in our communities but instead they are being dragged away to cover roles previously fulfilled by skilled civilian staff,” she said.

“The merger of Police Scotland has been a disaster for civilian staff who have been the target of disproportionate cuts. The Scottish Government’s unbalanced approach makes backfilling unavoidable but doesn’t do justice to the skills of officers and staff and certainly isn’t what is best for the communities they serve.”