Police numbers in Scotland under the SNP Government remain higher than at any time during the previous Labour/Lib Dem devolved administrations, with the total number of officers at 16,610 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) on 30 June.
Scotland’s officer numbers are favourable relative to elsewhere in the UK where Police numbers were slashed, with 31 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland compared to 24 in Tory-run England and Labour-led Wales.
At present, in Scotland the basic starting salary for a new constable is £26,737, while in England and Wales it is £21,654 – a huge difference of £5,083!
Last year Scottish Officers received a £700 pay uplift and a separate non-consolidated payment of £250. This contrasts with England and Wales where the majority of officers received no increase.
Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee Kenneth Gibson MSP said:
“Despite Tory austerity severely slashing Scotland’s budgets over the last decade, the SNP Government has increased police funding each year since 2016/17 and invested more than £10 billion in policing since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.
“This year yet again, the SNP Government faces further cuts in its day-to-day funding.
“The independent Scottish Fiscal Commission which sets our budget parameters, highlighted that this year’s Scottish Budget is 5.2% lower - even assuming inflation of 2.4% when it’s now four times higher - because of reduced UK Tory Government funding.
“Nevertheless, the SNP Government has increased the Scottish Police Authority’s resource budget which increased by £40.5 million this year, delivering on the commitment to protect the police resource budget in real terms.”
ENDS
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