Police Scotland welcomes 300 new constables

Three hundred probationary constables have been sworn into Police Scotland during a ceremony.

The new recruits formally became serving police officers as they took the oath of office at the force’s headquarters in Tulliallan, near Stirling, on Thursday.

Police Scotland has increased its recruitment after delays caused by the pandemic and last year’s Cop26 summit.

Earlier this month, figures revealed police numbers in Scotland had fallen to their lowest level for almost 14 years.

The total was 16,570 full-time equivalent officers, down by 662 since the end of September 2021.

Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone welcomed the new recruits at the ceremony.

He said: “This is a significant day for our newest officers and their families. I’m grateful to everyone who steps forward to take on the responsibilities and duties of a police officer to serve our communities.

“It is a demanding but hugely rewarding vocation and the oath of office ceremony is an important opportunity for me to welcome them into the service.

“I ask them to police as they would wish their own families to be policed – with high standards and with our values of integrity, fairness and respect, and a commitment to uphold human rights at the heart of all we do.”

Among the new intake of constables, 184 are male and 116 are female, while 27 identify as minority ethnic.