Police Scotland plans summer recruitment drive to boost officer numbers

Falling officer numbers are placing pressure on Police Scotland’s operational capabilities, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said.

The police chief said the force plans to launch a recruitment campaign over the summer in a bid to attract new officers.

Speaking at a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) on Thursday, Mr Livingstone said officer numbers are being kept “under constant and close review”.

But he added: “I think it is important for me to acknowledge there are and will be pressures on our operational capabilities as we address and mitigate these resource pressures in the short to medium-term.”

He said he is “hugely grateful for the commitment of our officers and staff” at a time when the force is facing an “increase in community needs at a time of lower resource levels”.

Official figures published at the start of May showed the number of full-time equivalent officers in Police Scotland fell by 312 during the first three months of 2022, reaching the lowest level since 2008.

The decline represented 1.8% of the force’s overall strength, meaning it had 16,805 full-time equivalent police officers as of March 31.

Mr Livingstone, who spoke about the “relentless and demanding nature of policing” as he addressed the SPA, explained that the Covid pandemic, combined with the demands of policing the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, meant there had been a “longer period between recruitment intakes than had previously been anticipated”.

He added: “Additionally the implication of pensions changes mean that a number of officers over the age of 50 are choosing to retire slightly earlier than would be the case.

“The effect of all these matters mean overall officer numbers are lower than would otherwise have been the case, and it will take longer than we had anticipated to regain our full officer establishment.”

Police Scotland has increased recruitment plans, he said, with the force looking to take on “around 300 probationary constables each quarter over the next year”.

In addition, he added: “We are exploring how we can further increase recruitment, and this summer members will see a recruitment campaign being launched publicly, which seeks to encourage and further support new applicants across the whole country, across the whole of Scotland.”