SNP must stop thin blue line getting thinner still - Scotsman leader
Ministers have a chance to reverse the decline. They must take it
The risk of policing numbers dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years should sound the loudest of alarm bells today.
At a time when we are asking our police officers to do more than ever before, and as they contend with a whole range of threats which could not have been anticipated five years ago let alone 20, ensuring the force is properly manned would seem to be a given.
But the Scottish Police Authority has warned that an expected standstill budget allocation for next year from the Scottish government will effectively turn off recruitment.
More pressure on the remaining officers, a poorer service for communities, and no doubt an increase in those taking early retirement as a result could all combine to turn a serious situation into a crisis pretty quickly.
As former deputy chief constable Tom Wood writes in The Scotsman today it is not too late for a change in direction.
Police Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell is not just going through the motions of asking for more funding, she is looking to re-establish a community policing service. The question is whether ministers will respond.
Writes Wood: “(It is) a bold and far sighted bid to build back a vital community service.
"It’s late in the day, and it’s going to take a while but Police Scotland are looking at the big picture. Let’s hope our political leaders see it too.”
When it comes to the Scottish Government’s budget allocations, we very much hope they do.
Simply increasing the demands on a dwindling number of officers will only go one way. By thinking about the problem differently, and indeed delivering the service in a different way then money committed now will be more than repaid in the future.
The public need to know that our emergency services are there when they need them. At a time of growing and unpredictable demands, the brutal reality is that is no longer a given.
Ministers have a chance to reverse the decline. They must take it.
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