At least 1,200 police officers could be axed under ‘brutal’ SNP government budget cuts, it was warned last night.
The bombshell estimate came from top brass after they were told by ministers to draw up scenarios for possible drastic reductions.
Senior officers warn police numbers could drop below 15,000 by March 2026, taking manpower to a new low.
They said compulsory redundancies would need to be considered among civilian staff – a step police chiefs insist they do not ‘wish to take’.
Police numbers have plummeted since the SNP came to power in 2007
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Communities will inevitably be put at greater risk if the SNP slash funding even further.
With officer numbers already at their lowest since the SNP came to power, ministers must show some common sense and deliver the resources the police need to protect the public.’
On June 30, there were 16,207 full-time equivalent police officers – the fewest in the SNP’s 17 years in power.
Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority submitted the manpower warning to MSPs on the criminal justice committee at the Scottish parliament, which is due to meet on Wednesday.
The document said ‘reduced funding in cash terms would have severe operational consequences, causing a significant disruption to frontline services and would compromise our ability to deliver effective policing services across Scotland’.
It warned: ‘The level of savings required in 2025-26, if funding is reduced in cash terms, would see police officer numbers drop below 15,000 by March 2026 (based on current pay and workforce assumptions) along with a large-scale staff exit programme, which in itself would create a significant cost pressure of staff exit costs.’
It warned that ‘the organisation would need to break with established policy and undertake a programme of compulsory redundancy across our [civilian] staff workforce’.
The budget papers add: ‘We do not wish to take this step.’
The Scottish Government’s Budget is due in December – as Finance Secretary Shona Robison attempts to find £1billion in savings.
Senior officers fear any further cuts to the policing budget could have major repercussions for public safety.
They also said that ‘in addition to the significant workforce reductions, a funding reduction would also require a pay freeze to be implemented in 2025-26’.
Police Scotland wants statutory borrowing powers to enable it to raise cash without relying solely on Scottish Government funding.
David Threadgold, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, said: ‘The funding we have had has allowed us only to stand still.’
Earlier this week, the Mail revealed a damning analysis of official statistics which showed only half of all crimes were solved last year, amid a sharp rise in the number of recorded crimes.
Last night, the Scottish Government said it ‘will continue to work with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority to identify options to address current financial challenges’.
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