Scots police officer numbers face being cut from next year
●Chief Constable in fresh warning amid battle with £36 million defecit
Police Scotland could cut officer numbers after this year, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has warned.
The force currently has 17,234 officers but he said reducing numbers this year would have been “imprudent to say the least”.
Mr Livingstone told MSPS Police Scotland is facing an “unprecedented period of demand”, with Euro 2020 matches being hosted in Glasgow this summer and the COP26 climate change summit taking place in the city in November.
The Chief Constable warned the force would still have a deficit to contend with in the upcoming financial year despite extra cash being awarded in the budget.
He said the force expected to have an operating deficit of about £36 million in 2020-21 – adding ministers have guaranteed to underwrite that sum.
Underspend from other areas of government will mean the force should be able to receive further cash later in the year, MSPS were told.
The budget deal between the
Scotland needs to do more to nurture artistic talent, culture secretary Fiona Hyslop has said.
She spoke at the launch of a culture strategy, which is backed with just over £1.2 million from the Scottish Government.
It includes plans to a create an advisory body, the National Partnership for Culture, which will work with ministers.
This will be led by former Edinburgh International Festival managing director Joanna Baker, the Scottish Government announced.
Meanwhile, an Arts Alive programme is to be set up with the intention of 250 cultural sessions taking place in schools and communities across Scotland.
Ms Hyslop said the strategy would put culture “at the heart of government”.
She said: “Culture is central to who we are. It is Scotland’s strength. This is why it must be valued first and foremost in and of itself – that is to say, culture is worth more than any financial value that can be placed on it.”
She added: “A key pillar of the strategy is the recognition that we need to do more to nurture artistic talent and support artists and to add value, recognise and champion artistic excellence.”