400 officers axed as SNP abandons police deal
Senior officials published a report yesterday spelling out their vision for the future development of Police Scotland over the next decade. HUNDREDS of police officers are to be axed despite the growing terror threat as the SNP tears up its flagship pledge to maintain manpower.
The Policing 2026 document was almost identical to a draft published in February but the final report was handed to Justice Secretary Michael Matheson yesterday after a consultation.
A move to axe up to 400 officers remains central to the plan despite the spate of terrorist attacks on Britain’s streets during the consultation – which had a response rate among police officers and civilian workers of only 2 per cent.
Mr Matheson insisted recruitment would not be slowed until there was evidence officers had been prised away from deskbased roles and sent to the frontline.
But Labour said this was ‘barely credible’ given the financial constraints the force faces as it tackles a looming deficit of nearly £200million.
Andrea MacDonald, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, said: ‘The world has changed since February after the terror attacks, but Policing 2026 hasn’t.
‘The concerns of our officers have not been taken into account and the report is full of shorthand for cutting officer numbers.
‘We are also very concerned about the money being spent on this report and on implementing it, with high-salary jobs being created to make it possible, at a time of huge financial constraints.’
The Policing 2026 report was drawn up with the help of consultancy firm Deloitte, which was paid nearly £700,000 of taxpayers’ money.
It is a blueprint for the next decade that looks at how police should respond to new threats such as cybercrime.
The core of the plan is that more civilian workers will be needed for these tasks rather than uniformed officers.
But it comes as some violent crime and sexual offences continue to rise, which critics say will require more bobbies on the beat. Police and ministers insist that beat policing will not suffer because of the move to shift more officers away from their desks back onto the streets to mitigate the decline on overall officer numbers.
The final strategy was signed off by Chief Constable Phil Gormley and Andrew Flanagan, chairman of the crisis-hit Scottish Police Authority – who was forced to quit last week.
Police Scotland outlined the initial plans in February to cut officer numbers by up to 400 as part of a ten-year policing plan.
Mr Gormley said recruitment levels would begin to slow between 2018 and 2020, while more specialist civilian staff in areas such as cybercrime will be recruited. He also pledged better use of technology such as body-worn video cameras, more effective deployment and releasing officers from ‘back office’ and corporate roles.
Mr Matheson said the Policing 2026 programme was ‘ambitious and challenging’, with measures to counter the threat of cybercrime and a greater emphasis on addressing vulnerability and mental health issues.
He said: ‘The Chief Constable has assured me that operational policing capacity will be increased and I have made it clear that officer recruitment should not be slowed until clear independent evidence is provided that this increase has been delivered. Officer numbers will remain well above the number we inherited in 2007.’
His comments end the SNP’s commitment to keep officer numbers 1,000 above the level inherited in 2007.
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Claire Baker said: ‘Police Scotland must plug the black hole at the heart of its budget.
‘The reality is that many of the difficulties experienced by Police Scotland sit at the door of an SNP Government that tied itself to a policy of extra officers that it didn’t properly fund, with support staff being cut and officers back-filling roles.’
Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell said recorded crime figures – which are at a record low – were not an accurate measure of demand on the force. She asked: ‘What is the Cabinet Secretary doing to ensure more accurate recording of demands on police time and how can the level of police numbers required to cope with the demand be decided without this accurate data?’
Mr Matheson said the Policing 2026 strategy was designed to reflect the fact 80 per cent of police calls do not relate to a crime.
‘World has changed but report hasn’t’