Police Recruitment On Target

The number of extra police officers in Scotland is increasing ahead of targets.

Figures show there were more than 17,000 police officers at the end of June, an increase of 6.7 percent.

That's 84 officers above the Scottish government's target of 1,000.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:

“Recorded crime in Scotland is at an almost 40 year low and these high police officer numbers provide a strong, visible police presence to keep our communities safe.

“I am proud that we have continued to keep our commitment for 1,000 additional officers working across Scotland during every quarter of this administration.

“This is in stark contrast to the situation in England and Wales where officer numbers have fallen by more than 14,000 since March 2007 and are now at their lowest levels since 2001.

“We have always said that police numbers will fluctuate and planning for major events such as the Commonwealth Games is one reason for that however this publication shows that we continue exceed the target and keep our promise to protect police officer numbers at these levels. Alongside Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, we are strongly committed to delivering 1,000 extra officers.

“The creation of Police Scotland and the SPA has allowed local policing to prosper with officers dedicated solely to local policing in each Division supported by specialist services and the ability to allocate additional police officers in every area where and when they are needed."