Mar 10
Wednesday
Police officer numbers reach record high PDF Print
Lothian and Borders JBB have, for many years, called for more officer numbers in Scotland.  This latest news release (copied) below, is evidence that the Scottish Government have listened to our pleas and are following through with their promises.

"There are now 17, 048 police officers in Scotland, the biggest quarterly increase on record and for the fourth quarter running the highest figure ever recorded.

The figures are included in the most recent police quarterly strength figures covering the period January 1, 2009 - March 31, 2009.

The total of 17,048 is an increase of 373 (+2.2per cent) officers compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 814 (+5per cent) since March 2007.

The latest quarterly increase includes 17 new officers in the Tayside force, 25 in Northern, 30 in Grampian, 37 in Lothian and Borders and 249 in Strathclyde.

Commenting on the figures, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:

"For the first time on record there are now more than 17,000 police officers in Scotland, serving our communities and policing our streets.

"With increases in all eight forces, we are delivering a more visible policing presence, deterring crime and reassuring our citizens.

"As the recent police projection study made clear, we will meet our commitment to recruit 1,000 additional officers and by March 2011 the number of officers in post is expected to be at least 1,000 more compared to 31 March 2007.

"These latest figures show we are well on course to meet that commitment.

"This continuing increase is in part the result of our direct recruitment of new officers, over and above the recruitment plans of our police forces. We are also working with forces on retention and redeployment of officers.

"Our Chief Constables should be congratulated for redeploying their officers and delivering more police on our streets as this Government delivers record numbers to our police forces.

"The key to the police service's ability to respond is not just its size, but its capacity. The right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. That's why this Government is focussing on building the capacity of the police service in Scotland - not just the numbers."

The Finance Secretary announced on 23 January 2008 an extra £40 million would be made available over the next three years for policing. This is in addition to the £54 million which was announced in November 2007. This will result in the recruitment of 1,000 additional officers by the end of March 2011."

Jackie Muller, Secretary JBB, said "we are delighted with this news and will be monitoring the situation locally to ensure that the higher numbers are maintained".