Underfunding ‘trend’ claim

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw has claimed the draft Scottish budget is “short-changing” the police service.

In his first first minister’s questions since taking control of the party, Mr Carlaw told Nicola Sturgeon the settlement sent to Police Scotland would not be enough.

Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) and the Association

SHOWDOWN: Tory leader Jackson Carlaw arrives for his first FMQs since taking up the post, where he clashed with Nicola Sturgeon, right

Scotland being structurally underfunded”.

Mr Carlaw said: “It’s quite clear that neither she nor her government have come anywhere close to meeting the budget allocation that frontline officers and the SPA believe is needed to ensure a sustainable policing service.

The first minister said: “Jackson Carlaw is the

representative of a party in the rest of the UK that cut police numbers by 20,000. So I think he should reflect on that.

“I would remind the chamber that the Tories have presided over a realterms cut of the Scottish budget over the last decade of £1.5 billion.”

Mr Carlaw said the Scottish Government was set for a £96 million

funding boost in “Barnett consequentials” and asked her why she was shortchanging Scotland’s police.

The first minister responded: “If you look at the capital budget, in 201617, Police Scotland’s capital budget was £20m. In the draft budget that was just published it was £40m. In other words it has doubled in the space of a couple of years.”

capital spending in 202021 last summer, saying the increased funding pot would allow “the transformation necessary to complete on the ambition of police reform and to enable Scotland to have a police service fit for the 21st Century”.

Budget negotiations are ongoing, with the final passage of the bill expected on March 5.