By Democrat reporter
The staggering scale of Police Scotland’s maintenance backlog can be revealed today by the Scottish Conservatives.
A Freedom of Information response – these are used to make public bodies release information the authorities would rather the public did not have – received by the party shows that the SNP’s centralised force is currently facing a repair bill for nearly £245 million.
Shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay, whose wife is a police officer, says it is appalling that the SNP expect our police officers to work in dilapidated buildings.
He says sustained cuts from the SNP have resulted in crumbling police stations across the country which, on the current rate of spending, would take 15 years to repair.
Russell Findlay MSP, left, said: “Sustained SNP government cuts to Scottish policing have resulted in a staggering maintenance backlog of almost a quarter of a billion pounds.
“Police officers are already under huge pressure, constantly being told to do more with less, and it’s appalling that they’re expected to work in dilapidated buildings.
“Almost £250million is needed to bring crumbling police stations up to a decent standard but this would take almost 15 years at the current rate of spending.
“The Scottish Conservatives have pledge to recruit 1,000 police officers to reverse these SNP cuts.
“In key seats across the country only the Scottish Conservatives can beat the SNP on July 4, and switch the focus away from the nationalists’ independence obsession and on to people’s real priorities, like making Scotland’s streets safer.”