A STARK new warning of a crisis within Scotland's police service has been issued with claims there are not enough frontline officers to keep the people of Scotland safe.
The concerns have come from various officers at the Scottish Police Federation's annual conference - and are expected to be put to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, and Scottish Police Authority chairman Susan Deacon who are due to attend today.
An emergency motion carried at the conference said that there are an estimated 17,000 officers in Scotland, but there are just not enough on the frontline.
One sergeant said they can start a shift with 50 and 60 unactioned calls before the day beings and that officers are "unsupported".
Some have tweeted their messages of concerns in online videos. The SPF, which represents around officers in Police Scotland, said in December that Brexit was set to make 2019 the busiest year for the single force since it was formed in 2013.
However police officer numbers were falling, not rising to cope with the demand.
It estimated that Brexit alone would create “demand equivalent to between 750 and 900 officers”, with Scottish officers diverted to give “mutual aid” to forces south of the border.
The officer count at that point was 17,147, a fall of 350 since its 2013 peak. Under the force’s current three year plan, that number is assumed to fall buy 300 in 2019/20.
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Temp Det Sgt Mark Dines who delivered the emergency motion gave a damning indictment of the state of policing in Scotland, saying his concerns were directed at frontline policing roles in uniform and detective areas.
Temp Det Sgt Mark Dines outlines the reality of policing in Scotland #Demand #StretchedService #ValueItFundIt #SPF19 pic.twitter.com/65y6JkNB4p
— ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) March 26, 2019
"We do not have enough officers to do our job properly and effectively and to keep the people of Scotland safe," he said. "This is not just a local issue, it's a national issue. Fund your police service. Fund it now."
Sgt Stuart Corbett added: "Front line policing is in crisis. We start a shift, and we are starting a shift with 50 and 60 unactioned calls before the day even begins. Officers are unsupported. They start the day knowing they are not going to get a refreshment break.
“Policing is in crisis... we need to put more officers into frontline policing.” Sgt Stuart Corbett at #SPF19 today #Demand #StretchedService #ValueItFundIt pic.twitter.com/VZ14jsqoLH
— ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) March 26, 2019
"We can't answer the calls, which means we can't put qualitative, investigative time into the calls that we do have to report. "And it is just unsustainable, we need to change. We need to change the way we allocate resources and it needs to be more from the bottom up. It's a simple solution. Put more officers into frontline policing."
Sgt Iain Gray said: "There are quite simply not enough cops on the frontline answering the calls that the public are making to the police.
“There are not enough police officers to answer all the calls we get from the public.” Sgt Iain Gray speaking at #SPF19 today. #StretchedService #Demand #ValueItFundIt pic.twitter.com/rm2RsMZjww
— ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) March 26, 2019
"Everything is a priority to the police services, which unfortunately means that we have nobody left to do anything. "If the public phone the police, they expect to see the police. And demand is so great at the moment that we cannot guarantee that."
Sgt Chris Thompson called on the force to "go back to basics".
"The public and organisation have to decide what they want police officers to do. We can't be everything to everyone. Police officers are at breaking point. We have to remember they are people, mums, dads, brothers, sisters, yhe list goes on.
“There have never been so many police officers in Scotland but so few on the front line... the public and the organisation need to decide what they want police officers to do. We can’t be everything to everyone.” Sgt Chris Thomson #Demand #StretchedService #SPF19 pic.twitter.com/iZEH69L2Mt
— ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) March 26, 2019
"We have to deal with this crisis and quickly as it has been going on for far too long."
The officers were jointed by Scottish Police Federation officials in their warnings.
"We have reached the stage just now in policing, where numbers are diminishing front line," said Grant McDowall, secretary of the federation's east area committee. "In the Edinburgh area there are over 1000 events that have to be covered by an ever decreasing number of officers.
"Officers are having to come in from elsewhere to cover. The thin blue line is stretched to the limit and it can go no more. We have to develop front line resources."
Andy Malcolm, chairman of the federation's east area committee said: "More and more has been pressed on officers and we are breaking them. There is no recognition of demand, which is just increasing. "
“More and more is being pressed on #police officers and we are breaking them.” Andy Malcolm, Chair of the East Area Committee of the Scottish Police Federation #Demand #StretchedService #ValueItFundIt #SPF19 pic.twitter.com/N9s6pE5cPT
— ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) March 26, 2019
The SPF said that over three in four of officers in G Division (Glasgow) alone say they do not have the resources to do their job properly.
Callum Steele, the SPF general secretary said: "This is about the significant limitations that are created by inadequate funding provided to the Scottish Police Authority which by extension limits the ability of the Scottish Police Service to deliver policing effectively in Scotland's communities.
"It distils down to the fact we need to get more money to fund the police service."
The SPF has previously said Brexit was already consuming resources at over-stretched Police Scotland, with officers “currently working beyond their limits” facing considerable new burdens.
These include “an unavoidable uplift in police officers in Border policing”; an uplift in public order officers and increased demand for mutual aid in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; increased pressure on roads and ports as food and livestock movements are affected.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “While the allocation of resources is for the Chief Constable and SPA to determine, we are protecting the police resource budget in real terms in every year of the current Parliament, delivering a boost of £100 million by 2021.
“Officer numbers in Scotland remain high – over 900 more than were in place in 2007, while over the same period in England & Wales there was a decrease of nearly 20,000 officers. Total Scottish Government funding for the SPA in 2019-20 is increasing by £42.3 million, bringing the annual policing budget to more than £1.2 billion.
“This includes a 50% increase to the capital budget – providing £12 million more – which will fund essential investment in IT infrastructure and support mobile working for officers, allowing them to access information remotely and spend more time in communities.”
Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority were approached for comment.
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