Police Scotland officer numbers rise to highest total for over a year

The number of police officers in Scotland has reached its highest point for over a year, figures show.

It comes as Justice Secretary Angela Constance said that Police Scotland had taken on more recruits in 2024-25 “than at any time since 2013”.

Police Scotland employed the full-time equivalent (FTE) of 16,553 officers on March 31 2025, data published by the Scottish Government revealed.

With the total rising for the last three consecutive quarters, Police Scotland now has 45 FTE officers more than at  the end of December 2024, and 197 FTE officers more than in March last year.

The last time the number of officers was higher was at the end of September 2023, when the force had 16,613 officers.

“Police officer numbers have increased in each of the last three quarters to their highest figure since Q3 of 2023,” the Scottish Government report said.

The figures show that Scotland has 319 FTE more police officers than the total of 16,234 recorded at the end of March 2007 – just before the SNP came to power.

But the number of officers is still well below the peak of 17,496 from  the end of March 2013.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said the recent rise in officer numbers had been “enabled by our continued investment in Police Scotland”.

She told how the Scottish Government is “investing a record £1.64 billion for policing” this, adding that marks an increase of £90 million on the 2024-25 published budget.

Ms Constance said: “Police Scotland took on more recruits last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025.”

The Justice Secretary added that Chief Constable Jo Farrell has “made it clear that she intends to bring the front line of policing to its strongest possible position and that frontline strength goes beyond an overall officer headcount”.

Ms Constance continued: “Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales,  and Scottish police officers have consistently been the best paid in the UK, at the minimum and maximum of each rank.

“Scotland continues to be a safe place to live, with recorded crime at one of the lowest levels since 1974 and down 40% since 2006-07.”

However, the Liberal Democrats noted there were “almost a thousand fewer” police than when Police Scotland was established in April 2013.

Lib Dem justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said: “The job of a police officer is constantly changing. Officers attend complex mental health cases and face soaring cybercrime online alongside the more traditional expectation of visible community policing.

“They’re having to do all of that with almost a thousand fewer officers than they had around a decade ago. It’s creating real pressure cooker conditions.

“As a result, staff are quitting the service or going off long term sick, leaving those who remain feeling unsupported and stretched dangerously thin.”