A senior cop has called for an end to the SNP’s flagship policy of 1,000 extra police officers after warning it’s no longer affordable.
Chief Superintendent Niven Rennie, president of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents, has given a stark assessment of the force’s finances, warning the 2007 pledge to maintain 1,000 extra beat officers and a no compulsory redundancy policy has forced Police Scotland to slash costs in other areas.
Chief Sup Rennie said the commitments are “becoming a millstone because there isn’t the money to pay for it” and called for “more honesty” on the scale of the problem they face.
He said: “The fat has already been stripped and yet they are still looking for more. If the budget is not to increase, if it is to remain the same, then we must be realistic and say we can’t maintain the same level of service.
“The 1,000 extra officers commitment is now becoming a millstone because there isn’t the money to pay for it.”
He added: “I think we need a bit more honesty from the force and the SPA. Behind closed doors they are complaining about the budget but they are not coming out and saying it publicly.
“We desperately need to start that conversation because my members are carrying the burden of this right now.”
SNP ministers have long hailed the 1,000 extra officers as being responsible for Scotland’s record low recorded crime rate and the policy will be in place until at least next year despite the hundreds of millions of pounds of savings Police Scotland has to find.
Chief Sup Rennie continued: “If the budget is not going to change we have to remove the minimum 17,234 officer pledge and no compulsory redundancies policy, otherwise we come to a cliff edge and there is no safety net.
“There is only so much you can do by taking away cars, allowances and the like.
“My understanding is voluntary redundancy and early retirement are not making the savings anticipated. It gets to stage where the sums don’t add up,”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are fully committed along with Police Scotland and the SPA to maintaining the target of 1,000 additional officers and to our policy of no compulsory redundancies.
“Police Scotland and the SPA are making excellent progress. Approximately £880 million of recurring savings have been secured towards the projected target of £1.1 billion by 2026.”
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