Scotland’s single force is no longer able to police the streets adequately because of budget cuts and a rise in the number of protests, senior officers have warned.
Rob Hay, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents (ASPS), said a ‘reshaping of the service is inevitable’ in a stark warning to ministers. ASPS represents senior personnel and its intervention follows fears over dwindling manpower voiced by the rank and file.
It also said plans to cut funding for vetting new applicants were ‘embarrassing’ for the SNP and could delay recruitment.
Mr Hay told the Mail: ‘This year Police Scotland is funded to do less, not more.
‘With a budget falling short of the Chief Constable’s stated requirements to maintain the status quo, cuts are on the way and a reshaping of the service is inevitable.
‘A backdrop of rising protests, community tensions and geopolitical upheaval is a worrying one for police commanders.’
It emerged last week that more than 500 protests have been policed by the force this year. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said there had been an increase in protests of about 50 per cent in 12 months, with one in five related to anti-immigration demonstrations.
Mr Waddell revealed the startling figures at a public board meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).
Police Scotland chief constable Jo Farrell briefs officers
Meanwhile, cash for vetting potential officers will be subject to ‘significant’ cuts, while officer overtime costs will be slashed by 20 per cent.
Mr Hay said: ‘It must be embarrassing for the Scottish Government to have put so much effort into having new vetting regulations, underpinned by new legislation, put into place, only to see Police Scotland reduce the capacity to carry out vetting for financial reasons.’
At the SPA public board meeting in Glasgow last week, Chief Constable Jo Farrell said there had been ‘some extremely difficult decisions which are reflected’ in the force’s budget plans.
She said: ‘This includes the 20 per cent reduction in our overtime budgets and the release of temporary staff roles who were doing really valuable work.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘Scotland continues to have more officers per capita than England and Wales and the Chief Constable recently confirmed at the [Scottish parliament’s] criminal justice committee that that budget allocation will allow her to prioritise frontline services and to ensure that she can maintain officer numbers at 16,500 in the coming year.’
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘This latest stinging attack from senior police officers should be an urgent wake-up call for the SNP.
‘Their savage cuts to the police budget mean there are fewer officers, growing concerns over how they can keep communities safe and a lack of resources to carry out proper vetting.’
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘This latest stinging attack from senior police officers should be an urgent wake-up call for the SNP.
‘Their savage cuts to the police budget mean there are fewer officers, growing concerns over how they can keep communities safe and a lack of resources to carry out proper vetting.
‘Ministers cannot keep asking officers to do more with less while public safety is put at risk.’
