Government must urgently tackle falling police numbers and cuts in funding

An article in The Scotsman today (“Police stretched as frontline takes hit”) refers to Chief Superintendent Ivor Marshall’s evidence to the criminal justice committee of the Scottish Government.

His evidence addresses the lack of clarity regarding deployment of police and the consequent reduction of officers to address local issues across Scotland.

He is correct to point out that whenever a new unit is set up, or staff required for oth- er specialist functions, frontline policing is reduced by a “drip” effect. However, there are some very strange things happening with regard to local policing.

As reported in The Scotsman on 1 May, 2018, police numbers are now at their lowest since 2009. This situation is not going to improve, with an expected reduction by 400 officers over the next few years coupled with an expected budget shortfall of £200 million over the next three years.

Scottish Borders Council is paying Police Scotland in the region of £250,000 for extra manpower in the form of a community action team of a sergeant and six constables to tackle community-based problems.

Since the introduction of this team they have been effective; but throwing officers and money at a problem usually works.

This model is replicated across Scotland, where local councils spend part of their budgets on resolving police staffing issues and local problems.

This initiative has been sold to councils on the basis that their area will receive extra officers for policing the community and dealing with recurring problems.

If police numbers are receding – and they are – where do the extra officers come from?

Secondly, why are councils spending their budgets on policing when they have other pressing matters to attend to such as poor roads, insufficient teachers, inadequate care provision etc?

We, the public, are in effect paying twice for a police service that we should be receiving.

The belief that extra officers are being deployed is a myth that needs to be challenged. That there are local problems requiring a police presence is not in dispute, nor of the effectiveness of officers so deployed.

The central issue is the structure of policing in Scotland today and the funding of it. Police Scotland is receiving a great deal of money from councils who are in effect subsidising them.

The fault does not lie directly with Police Scotland, who need more funding, nor with councils, who need effective policing, but with the Scottish Government, who are reducing the police budget.

L. W. TURNBULL Edderston Road, Peebles