Number of police officers in Scotland continues to fall

The number of police officers in Scotland dropped again in the last quarter by nearly 150 full-time equivalent (FTE) officers, new data shows.

The latest figures released by Scotland’s Chief Statistician show there were 16,207 FTE police officers employed by Police Scotland on June 30, a decrease of 148 FTE officers since March 31.

The data shows the number of FTE police officers has reduced by 392 since June 30 last year.

It also reveals the number of FTE officers is now lower than had been employed in Scotland on March 31 2007.

The statistics are based upon quarterly returns made by Police Scotland to the Scottish Government.

The next batch of statistics is scheduled to be published at the beginning of November this year.