Police Scotland officer numbers stable in last three months

Officer numbers in Police Scotland have remained largely stable in the last three months, the latest data shows.

Figures released on Thursday show there were 16,613 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on September 30, a rise of 14 officers from the previous quarter.

Officer numbers declined sharply in late 2021 and early 2022 before reaching a plateau this year.

The latest figures represent an increase of 379 FTE police officers from the end of March 2007.

It comes as the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said the police service is being “asset stripped”.

General secretary David Kennedy said: “Our current funding difficulties started in 2013 when Police Scotland was formed from the previous eight forces.

“At that time, over £200 million was removed from the annual cost base of policing.

“That has never been returned, so essentially that £200 million has been returned to the public purse every year since and this now amounts to around £2 billion.

“Over these 10 years, we have seen around 140 police stations closed, and we are now virtually 1000 officers short of our highest ever number of 17,496 which we had in 2013.

“We have been asset-stripped and basically used as a cash cow.”

He said ministers’ claims of budget increases failed to reflect this funding gap, adding: “Operational base levels are regularly breached, and this has significant implications for public and police officer safety.

“If this situation persists it is only a matter of time before a tragedy is caused by this.”

The Scottish Government has said it has invested more than £11.6 billion since the creation of the single force in 2013.

It says there are more officers per capita than in England and Wales while police at all levels are better paid north of the border.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The 2024-25 Budget has not been set and funding decisions will be made as part of the Scottish Budget in December.

“Policing is a priority for this Government, which is why, despite difficult financial circumstances due to UK Government austerity, we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, with £1.45 billion being invested this year.

“The Scottish Government has invested more than £11.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.

“There are over 370 more officers than in 2007 and around 1,480 new recruits have joined Police Scotland since the beginning of 2022.”

They added: “Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales and following the agreed pay deal of 12% over two years, our officers continue to be the best paid at all levels.”