Police Officer numbers highest since 2007

 

SNP MSPs for the South of Scotland Dr Aileen McLeod and Joan McAlpine have today (Tuesday) welcomed the publication of figures showing that police officer numbers in Dumfries & Galloway are at their highest since 2007. There are currently are 526 police in the region, up from 497 in the first quarter of 2007. This is the highest figure since 2007 and an increase from the first quarter of 2007 of 29 (up 5.8%), as well as an increase of 14 officers from the same quarter last year.

 

Dr McLeod commented:

 

“The number of police officers in Dumfries & Galloway has gone up and crime in the region has also fallen. There is no substitute for bobbies on the beat and that is what the SNP Scottish Government has delivered.

“The Labour Party would never have delivered extra police officers, then said it couldn’t be done, and last year Johan Lamont was alleging that they wouldn’t be kept. But for all that, the SNP has kept its promise and delivered those extra police officers and Scotland is safer as a result.”

 

Joan McAlpine added

“Not a single one of those additional police officers would be there, protecting our communities, if Labour had their way.  And all the opposition parties voted against the Scottish Government Budget which is delivering the resources to maintain these police numbers.

“Today’s figures are a clear demonstration on the other hand of the SNP’s commitment to making Scotland a safer place to live and work. It is also why we introduced a single police force – to protect the frontline service that our communities rely on.

 

“This is in direct contrast to the picture in England and Wales where police numbers have fallen to their lowest level since 2002 and are expected to drop by 16,000 in total.”