An MSP has told the Scottish Government that they must fund Police Scotland properly — as evidence reveals that police numbers have fallen by 46 in Ayrshire’s policing division.
South Scotland Conservative MSP Sharon Dowey said it’s about time the SNP government got to grips with the decline in numbers.
Ms Dowey said the decrease in numbers has been experienced across Scotland, with police numbers falling by 650 since the SNP completed their police merger in 2013.
Ms Dowey said: “Ayrshire’s police officers have worked tirelessly over the course of the pandemic, going above and beyond to keep us safe. While our police officers work hard, they can’t be expected to pick up the workload of the 46 officers that are no longer in the force.
“Knowing that police presence reduces crime, you’d think that it would be a Scottish Government priority to increase the number of frontline officers.
“Instead, the SNP have presided over a decline of almost 50 officers in Ayrshire since 2013, putting the safety of our communities at risk.
“If the Scottish Government had been interested in improving local police forces, they would have funded Police Scotland properly to get more bobbies on the beat.
“Not only would this make communities in Ayrshire safer, it would also relieve the pressures on those already working for Police Scotland.
“The SNP must also deliver body-worn cameras to existing police officers which are necessary to keep frontline officers safe.
“Police Scotland asked for 10,000 of these and received just 311. This, alongside ageing police stations and police vehicles shows once again that police officers are the SNP’s last priority.
“Our police are overworked, overstretched and underfunded, and it’s about time that the SNP recognise this and take action.”
South Scotland Labour MSP Carol Mochan said the decline in numbers was “very concerning”.
She said: “It is very concerning to see the long term trend of police numbers decreasing, it is clear that the police in Ayrshire are being overworked and stretched to breaking point.
“The public want to see more police on the streets and they want to know their local community officer.
“Equally, among the constituents I talk to, there are serious concerns about response times and the police’s ability to follow up crimes after they have been reported.
“All that requires greater staffing numbers across the board and you can’t achieve that by pushing through real terms cuts.
“The SNP have been running a slow campaign of decreasing spending on vital public services since they came to power in 2007.
“At the time, Labour warned that the way the Police Scotland merger was carried out was rushed and didn’t give enough room for proper resource analysis and accountability, in the end I feel it has been used as hidden cost cutting exercise by a party that does not properly understand that the public want a visible police presence.”
Scottish Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for justice, Jamie Greene MSP, said: “The huge cuts to police numbers has not gone unnoticed, with fewer people saying they are aware of police patrols than in 2013.
“It is clear that locals want to see more police officers on the streets to keep them safe, which is why the Scottish Conservatives have proposed our Local Policing Act.
“The proposed legislation would see more police patrolling our streets and that our police receive the funding and equipment they need to keep us safe.
“It would also give locals a say in policing decisions, ensuring that future local policing has the community at its heart.
“We hope that people across Ayrshire will join us as we strive to create a police force that can effectively serve the community going forward.”
But the SNP's justice secretary Keith Brown hit back at the criticism and said: “The Tories’ claims reek of hypocrisy.
“Not only are police numbers in Scotland up significantly from 2007, when the SNP took office, there are also more police officers per head than south of the border where the Conservatives are in charge. The Tories have also failed to propose any increase to the police budget.
“Officers numbers are around 32 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to around 23 officers per 10,000 population in England and Wales.
“Despite UK Government cuts we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17 and have invested more than £10bn in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.”
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