HUMZA Yousaf has been branded a “criminal’s dream” over police station closures and crimes going uninvestigated amid rowdy scenes at Holyrood.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said the First Minister was being “sly, sleekit and secretive” about the impact of cuts to Police Scotland officer numbers and buildings.

Mr Yousaf in reply accused Mr Ross of telling “lies” and “post-truths”, leading to him being made to apologise by Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone.

Earlier this week, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents frontline officers, warned staffing cuts could lead to members of the public dying.

David Kennedy said fewer officers would be able to respond to emergency calls, risking a repeat of the 2015 tragedy on the M9 that cost the lives of John Yuill and Lamara Bell.

Officers failed to arrive at the site of the car crash near Stirling for three days. 

Quoting Mr Kennedy’s warning, Mr Ross said police numbers had fallen by 700 since Police Scotland was formed in 2013 and asked the FM how much lower he would let them fall.

The national force had 17,496 officers in 2023, but 16,600 at the end of June 2023.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf appears on cover of US publication Time Magazine

Mr Yousaf said officer numbers were still up by 300 on the number in 2007 when the SNP came to power, and Scotland had more officers per head than England and Wales.

He said the Scottish Government was also investing £1.45billion in the police this year, an increase of £80m in the resource budget.

“I remind Douglas Ross that, as the SNP-led Scottish Government has increased police numbers, between 2010 and 2019, his party decreased police officer numbers in England by almost 19,000,” he said.

Mr Ross then quoted Police Scotland’s  Deputy Chief Officer David Page, who recently described the cuts facing the force as “slash and burn”.

Mr Ross said that was why Police Scotland had launched a pilot scheme under which some crimes would not be investigated, and asked Mr Yousaf to publish a list of those crimes.

Mr Yousaf said public services in Scotland faced cuts due to “economic mismanagement” by the UK Conservative government, and cited falling levels of crime in Scotland. 

Mr Ross said Police Scotland planned to cut around 30 of its stations and demanded the First Minister “be up front and honest” and tell the public which ones were to be axed.

Mr Yousaf said the force had published plans to replace parts of its estate in 2019 and it made sense to “co-locate with partner organisations” in modern premises.

Mr Ross replied: “Humza Yousaf is forcing Police Scotland to close dozens of stations, but he will not say where. 

“He is leaving it with no option but to stop investigating every crime, but he will not say which crimes. 

“He is forcing the police to cut officer numbers to the lowest level on record, but he will not say how low. 

“For a First Minister who loves the sound of his own voice, it seems quite stark that he is silent when it really matters.”

He added: “Let us be very clear: Humza Yousaf is a criminal’s dream. He does not want them stopped, he does not want them caught and he does not want them in jail. 

“Why is he being so sly, sleekit and secretive about the consequences of the SNP’s cuts to Police Scotland?”

As SNP MSPs jeered the Tory leader’s remarks, Mr Yousaf hit back: “I know that Douglas Ross… was down at the Conservative Party conference this week, or as others have rightly dubbed it, the ‘conspiracy party conference’, but his post-truth and his lies about the police service simply will not wash here in Scotland.”

Ms Johnstone said it was “wholly inappropriate” for one MSP to say another had lied and asked Mr Yousaf to apologise.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf refuses to apologise for accusing Douglas Ross of 'lies'

The First Minister tried to substitute “deliberate inaccuracy” and “post-truth” for lie, but Ms Johnstone refused to accept it and had to ask him twice more to apologise before he did so.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also asked about police cuts, referring to two closed police stations in Rutherglen & Hamilton West, scene of today’s Westminster by-election.

He cited Police Scotland’s own warning that it faced losing 600 more officers and 200 staff next year to save money and 2000 personnel over the next four years.

“Front-line officers are being overworked, are missing out on rest days and are struggling with their mental health. That means that, in parts of Scotland, the police are piloting the approach of not investigating some crimes. 

“The Scottish Police Federation has warned that people ‘may die’ if further cuts go ahead. 

“Those are its words, not mine. Why will the First Minister not listen to police officers who are serving on the front line and trying to keep our communities safe?” he asked.

The First Minister insisted his Government was investing in Police Scotland, and listed large falls in multiple categories of recorded crime, including robbery and housebreaking.

He said: “The situation around the funding of our public services has, of course, been difficult. Not because of the SNP but because of the Conservatives’ complete and utter economic mismanagement. 

“The difference between Anas Sarwar and me is that I want to ensure that we have the power over our finances while he wants to keep that power in the hands of the Conservatives.