Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton has said that cuts in the number of frontline police officers in the Borders should be a source of shame and embarrassment for the SNP Government.
Ms Hamilton’s call comes after new statistics showed that over 900 local officers have been lost across Scotland since the SNP merged the force into Police Scotland in 2013, with overall officer numbers at their lowest level since 2008.
In Lothian and the Borders there are now 99 fewer officers than nine years ago when SNP ministers created Police Scotland, while latest figures show officer numbers are continuing to fall in Lothian and the Borders. In the last quarter, the number for the region fell by 17.
Ms Hamilton says it is little surprise to see such a fall in police numbers in the Borders as the SNP Government have treated police officers “with contempt” and failed to honour spending commitments promised for the policing budget.
She went on to say that the SNP have been consistently letting down officers in the Borders and backed her party’s plans for a Local Policing Act to ensure more bobbies are on the beat in the Borders and that communities have more of a say in local policing divisions.
Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton said:
“It is shocking to see such a reduction in local officers in the Borders. It is incredibly frustrating given the repeated calls to the SNP government to bolster officer numbers across the country.”
“Local police divisions in the Borders will bear the brunt of the SNP’s brutal underfunding of our police force. “
“I am concerned that across the Borders it will be local people who, once again, suffer due to the SNP’s incompetence.”
“SNP Ministers should never have allowed officer numbers to fall so far. This only increases the risk of crime in our communities in the Borders.”
“We all understand that our safety and security should be a top priority for any government, but it seems the SNP want to ignore this duty. By contrast, the Scottish Conservatives are fully committed to supporting officers through our Local Policing Act, which would restore local patrols in our communities and ensure people in the Borders have more of a say in local policing decisions.”
