SNP ACCUSED OF “GUTTING COMMUNITY POLICING” AS OFFICER CUTS HIT LOCAL POLICE FORCES

by BILL HEANEY

Scottish Labour has accused the SNP of a “campaign of centralisation” as more than 1,000 local and regional police officers are lost. 

This week a report revealed Police Officer numbers fell again last quarter. However, further analysis has revealed an even sharper drop in local policing. 

While Police Scotland lost 29 police officers overall in the last quarter, local and regional divisions lost 82 officers – a drop partially masked by a rise in the number of national police officers.

Since the start of 2017, when these records began, the combined number of local and regional police officers has plummeted by 1,073, with local divisions specifically losing a staggering 894 officers. 

Meanwhile, the number of national police officers rose by 218.

Local cuts hit some areas especially hard, with Glasgow losing 242 local police officers since 2017 – nearly a tenth of their local police force. 

Similarly, since 2017, the North East has lost 137 officers, and Lanarkshire has lost 104 officers. 

Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: “These stark figures lay bare the SNP’s ongoing campaign of centralisation in our police force.  SNP cuts have gutted community policing and allowed crime rates to climb.   Visible, local police in our communities is key to preventing crime and improving community safety. 

“The SNP must stop the cuts to local policing and make sure every force in Scotland has the officers it needs to keep our streets safe.”

Police Scotland Officer numbers:

Quarter	Scotland Total	National	Regional	Local
2017 Q1	17,256	1,544	2,870	12,843
2026 Q1	16,430	1,709	2,693	12,028
2026 Q2	16,402	1762	2,691	11,949
Change since last quarter	-28	53	-2	-79
Change since Q1 2017	-854	218	-179	-894
Change since Q1 2017 (%)	-5%	14%	-6%	-7%

 

Local Police Officers by area:

	2017 Q1	2026 Q2	Change	% Change
North East	1189	1052	-137	-12%
Tayside	957	893	-64	-7%
Highlands and Islands	635	622	-13	-2%
Forth Valley	627	607	-20	-3%
Edinburgh	1153	1104	-49	-4%
The Lothians and Scottish Borders	911	880	-31	-3%
Fife	814	749	-65	-8%
Glasgow	2666	2424	-242	-9%
Ayrshire	835	786	-49	-6%
Lanarkshire	1447	1343	-104	-7%
Argyll and West Dunbartonshire	567	542	-25	-4%
Renfrewshire and Inverclyde	679	596	-83	-12%
Dumfries and Galloway	363	351	-12	-3%
Total	12,843	11949	-894	-7%

Note: Q1 2017 is the first time this data breakdown was published. 

Source: https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/police-scotland-officer-numbers/