Police Scotland facing major cuts over £74million budget black hole,Trade unions have warned that the public will suffer and criminals could evade punishment over the budget black hole.
Police Scotland facing major cuts over £74million budget black hole
Scotland is facing a £74million cut to policing which will see staff axed and resources slashed.
Trade unions have warned that the public will suffer and criminals could evade punishment over the budget black hole. The savings come at a time of crisis for Police Scotland when:
● Hundreds of civilian police staff could be axed across vital roles.
● The number of officers leaving under new retirement rules has outstripped recruitment.
● Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone decided to take early retirement having criticised the cuts.
● His deputy Fiona Taylor could also be set to leave the force.
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Tributes paid to 'formidable' Scots community stalwart who lost battle with cancer Michelle Brewster (Image: Daily Record.)
The force’s top brass are due to meet this month to approve their budget before deciding on exactly where to make their cuts. Brewster said she believed Livingstone’s decision to retire this summer, rather than stay on until 2025, was “not surprising” given the difficult decisions which will have to be made.
She said: “Knowing the type of man he is and having worked with him, I wouldn’t have thought he’d have wanted to preside over a force that was making such draconian cuts. I can’t think of any other reason for him making that decision.” A possible candidate to replace Livingstone would be his number two Fiona Taylor.
If she applied and got the job, she would be the first female chief constable of Police Scotland. She signed a new contract last year to stay with the force until 2025. But the Sunday Mail understands that Taylor is not certain to throw her hat into the ring and could choose to leave around the same time as her boss.
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Brewster said that if police staff numbers are reduced, it could lead to 999 calls taking longer to be answered, forensic teams being unavailable to attend crime scenes and officers being unable to respond to emergencies as they are not legally able to drive with blue lights on their cars because they’ve missed out on specialist training.
Officers may have to be drafted in to cover some of the vital roles such as training new starts on tactical response driving. She added: “Whenever anybody looks at a crime scene and sees people in white suits, it’s usually a member of police staff – a forensic biologist who is examining a body or a scene-of-crime officer whose going out to collect evidence that will end up being used in court.
Cells at a Scottish police station (Image: Daily Record.)
“Then there’s people like me who examine fingerprints, and others who look at DNA, which are vital in securing prosecutions. If you start removing these staff, the number of prosecutions could go down as it will be harder, or take longer, to gather evidence.” She said officer numbers will be affected but, as police officers can’t be made redundant, those who leave the force won’t be replaced and levels will fall.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: “Not only are police officer numbers at their lowest level since 2008, much needed civilian staff are bearing the brunt of savage SNP cuts. The knock-on effect of this will be felt in our communities, who risk even more crime going unreported and not fully investigated.
“This is exactly the sort of unsustainable situation the outgoing chief constable warned about last week. SNP ministers must finally guarantee all areas of Police Scotland will be fully resourced for the sake of public protection.” Scottish Labour’s community safety spokeswoman Katy Clark said: “It’s not just police officers who help protect us from crime and prosecute criminals. These cuts to civilian staff numbers are a real concern.
“For a long time the SNP have ruthlessly cut these civilian staff to maintain officer numbers. These cuts to this part of the police budget will spell even more job losses for the sector and will, in turn, make it harder for officers to keep us safe. The SNP must finally make police workforce planning a priority to ensure communities are not harmed.”
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “Policing is, and will continue to be, a priority for this government, with figures released this week showing that recorded crime is at one of the lowest levels seen since 1974. Despite UK Government austerity, and in recognition of the crucial role Police Scotland officers and staff play keeping communities safe, the service will receive additional resource funding of £80million in the next financial year, a 6.3 per cent increase.
“Scotland has more police officers per capita than England and Wales and our officers have higher pay ranges.” A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “The chief constable has been clear that hard choices lie ahead to deliver effective policing within the revenue budget available.”
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