Michael Matheson DEFENDS Police Scotland plans to axe 400 officers
JUSTICE Secretary Michael Matheson today defended plans to axe 400 police officers.
JUSTICE Secretary Michael Matheson today defended plans to axe 400 police officers
Police Scotland announced the move in February as part of a 10-year plan as it recruits cybercrime specialists.
The cuts, to be phased in by 2020, effectively abandon the SNP’s pledge to keep officer numbers at 1,000 more than the 2007 levels.
But Mr Matheson told MSPs police recruitment will not be slowed until there is clear evidence of an increase in “operational capacity”.
He also said Police Scotland and under-fire watchdog the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) were expected to develop “robust implementation and financial plans” as it battles a £200 million deficit.
Mr Matheson described the Policing 2026 programme was “ambitious and challenging”.
Labour’s Claire Baker questioned how the increase in operational capacity could be funded.
Police Scotland announced the move in February as part of a 10-year plan
Police Scotland chief unveils plan to cut force numbers by 400
She said: “Many of the difficulties experienced by Police Scotland sit at the door of an SNP government that ties itself to a policy of extra police officers, a policy that it doesn’t properly fund, which has led to support staff being cut and officers backfilling roles.”
Many of the difficulties experienced by Police Scotland sit at the door of an SNP government
Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell said recorded crime figures were not an accurate measure of demand on the force.
She asked: “What is the Cabinet Secretary doing to ensure more accurate recording of demands on police time and how can the level of police numbers required to cope with the demand be decided without this accurate data?”
Mr Matheson said the strategy was designed to reflect the fact 80 per cent of police calls do not relate to a crime.
It comes as part of a plan to increase more cybercrime specialists
Under the blueprint the public will be encouraged to report crime by emailing smartphone pictures or footage of incidents direct to police.
Michael Matheson also told Holyrood that alongside a commitment to protect the police resource budget, ministers had provided an enhanced £61 million reform budget for 2017-18 to support the change outlined in the strategy.