Brown oversees police slump

SCOTLAND’S police numbers have slumped by more than 700 since the Justice Secretary was appointed, it emerged yesterday.

The Scottish Conservatives highlighted that they have reduced in every quarter since Keith Brown took office in May last year. It led to claims of ‘dangerous’ cutbacks putting public safety at risk.

The total number of officers stood at 17,289 when Mr Brown was appointed in Nicola Sturgeon’s Cabinet reshuffle. By September this year, it had fallen to 16,570.

The headcount is at its lowest level since 2008, following a continual decline over the past 18 months. Scottish Conservative

justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: ‘Keith Brown ought to be ashamed that he has presided over these remorseless falls, but by giving his public backing to ditching minimum officer numbers it seems he has given up fighting for a properly resourced Police Scotland.

‘Our police work tirelessly day and night to keep the public safe, yet they are being let down. The SNP’s dangerous justice cuts are putting public safety at risk and must be reversed.’

The SNP said in its 2007 Holyrood manifesto that it would keep police officer numbers 1,000 higher than the figure inherited. This pledge was quietly scrapped ahead of the 2016 election.

When the SNP came to power in 2007, there were 16,234 officers in Scotland. Numbers peaked at 17,496 in the first quarter of 2013.

A Scottish Government spokesman said there were more officers now than in March 2007 ‘and more per head of population than England and Wales, with Police Scotland welcoming around 900 new recruits in 2022’.

The spokesman said more than £13billion had been invested in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.