Report exposes SNP spin on police numbers

23/1/08

Commenting on the publication of the Justice Committee report into police resources, Margaret Smith MSP called on the SNP to stick to their manifesto pledge and recruit 1000 extra police.

The cross party Justice Committee report concluded that SNP plans to identify 500 officers for front lines duties through retention and redeployment will be " very challenging'.  The committee also called on the Government to identify sufficient resources to ensure that there are at least 1,000 extra officers by 2011 compared with 2007.

Speaking from Parliament, the Edinburgh West MSP said:

"The Justice Committee heard from a number of high ranking police officers across Scotland that retention and redeployment of officers will not increase police numbers.

It is clear that the SNP Government’s intention to supplement police numbers through redeployment and retention is not the same as recruiting more officers for frontline duty.  This is a betrayal of the SNP’s manifesto promise to the Scottish people. 

“The Justice Committee has exposed the truth behind the SNP spin on the issue of police numbers.  The Scottish Tories, for all their indignation about this broken promise, signed up to the SNP Budget without this funding guarantee.

“I want the Government to come back to Parliament to explain how it will fund an extra 1,000 police officers in Scotland by 2011, rather than the 500 now on offer.”