Sharon Dowey MSP
CONSERVATIVE MSP FOR SOUTH SCOTLAND CALLS FOR MORE POLICE FUNDING
OUR police officers work tirelessly to keep our communities safe here in East Ayrshire.
They put their lives on the line day in, day out when responding to emergency calls for help, tackling drug dealers and organised crime, and helping to secure justice for victims and families.
But just now, when their colleagues retire or make a career change, there’s no funding for additional recruitment.
As a consequence, the number of police officers in Scotland is at the lowest level since 2008.
And the number of police officers in East Ayrshire and across Scotland is set to drop even further, with
Police Scotland opening a voluntary redundancy scheme this year.
As a result of the SNP’s underfunding of our police force, Police Scotland have warned that a further 3,000 jobs are at risk.
The SNP know how dire this situation is and they’ve been warned by Police Scotland that things are about to get worse. They can’t afford to bury their heads in the sand and ignore it.
Serious assaults have increased by almost 50 per cent in East Ayrshire. Robbery and sexual offending rates have increased too.
In total, 8,000 crimes were committed in East Ayrshire between April and December last year.
And if officer numbers continue to decline, it’s possible that we’ll see an even bigger spike in offending.
Fewer bobbies on the beat will make it harder to deter criminals. It sends a message to would-be offenders that they might get away with crime.
And fewer police officers locally could mean that emergency response times get slower.
Fewer police officers will also put even more pressure on the remaining officers, as they try to perform the job to the same standard without adequate staffing.
The huge pressure put on frontline officers is already contributing to poor mental health in the workforce, with the number of officers and staff absent due to mental health problems increasing by 40 per cent last year.
This shows just how overstretched the police force really is.
Having a strong police force is key to community safety and to the wellbeing of the officers themselves.
That’s why the SNP Government need to start listening to officers on the ground.
They’re telling the SNP how difficult the job has become because of underfunding and this recruitment crisis.
I’ll continue to highlight those
concerns and call on the SNP Government to stand up for police officers, until we see officer numbers increase and more focus on their wellbeing.