POLICE OFFICER NUMBERS UP 6.3% UNDER SNP.
TORIES’ EMPTY PROMISES VS STRONG SNP RECORD ON POLICING.
Official statistics published today show that police officer numbers have soared under the SNP government – in contrast to the Tories, who have slashed officer numbers by 21,000 since they came to power.
The statistics, based on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers employed by Police Scotland, shows there are currently 17,259 officers – up by 1,025 since 2007.
Despite a £2 billion cut to Holyrood’s block grant by Westminster in the last decade, officer numbers have risen by 6.3% since 2007.
Police officer numbers in England and Wales have fallen by 21,000 since the Tories took power, and new PM Boris Johnson’s flagship vow to recruit 20,000 new officers has been shot down by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, with the newly appointed policing minister also admitting there were “logistical challenges” ahead.
Commenting, Rona Mackay MSP said:
“These welcome new figures show that the SNP government continues to deliver more police on our streets, contributing to a drop of 42% in recorded crime since it came to power.
“In stark contrast, police numbers have been decimated under the Tories. They’re at their lowest levels since the 1970s with services hammered to the tune of 20,000 officers.
“Boris Johnson’s U-turn on police numbers in England and Wales is long overdue, but his record on broken promises speaks for itself. His own ministers have even questioned the logistics of his flagship plans.
“And if implemented, his commitments will only partially reverse the cuts the Tories have already made, and it won’t undo the damage done through years of starving the police of vital funding.
“This is a clear tale of two governments – a Scottish Government supporting our police to make our streets safer and a new Prime Minister hell-bent on leaving the EU, ideologically obsessed with austerity, and ready to deliver untold damage to public services across the UK.”