Warning SNP police cuts leaving Scotland exposed to terrorism and organised crime

Union bosses have warned police cutbacks are leaving Scotland open to extremism, terrorism and organised crime.

The chief of Scotland’s policing union has issued a stark warning that officer cutbacks are leaving the country exposed to extremism, terrorism and organised crime.

The general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation has claimed that a breakdown in community policing is eroding “crucial” intelligence gathering that police benefit from having a presence on the streets. David Kennedy warns that without a rethink, in the next 10 years there could be “really bad criminals within Scotland”.

The warning comes amid a raft of challenges facing Scotland’s national police force, with a decrease in full-time officers to the lowest level in 15 years, plans to close 29 stations, a policy of not investigating some ‘minor’ crimes and the impact of resourcing new controversial hate crime legislation.

Police recruits participate in a passing out parade at Tulliallan Police College (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

On Saturday, The Scotsman revealed warnings by the Scottish Police Federation that services may be reduced or policing cuts made due to the burden of dealing with controversial new hate crime legislation. David Threadgold, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said overtime payments for control room staff will have "consequences", warning that “at some point in the next financial year the police service will not do something because of the demand that it's being placed under now".

The Scottish Government said Police Scotland received “record” funding of £1.55 billion for 2024/25, an increase of £92.7 million. But the latest edition of justice publication 1919 Magazine, highlights fears that the force is becoming “increasingly reactive, not proactive”.

The Conservatives have claimed that the Scottish Government has allowed a “perfect storm” for organised crime by what the party claims is underfunding of Police Scotland.

Mr Kennedy said: “Community policing is the cornerstone of the police service. The bottom line is the intelligence on organised crime groups (OCGs) and terrorism comes from the communities.

David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation speaking at a fringe event at the SNP annual conference at the Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA) in Aberdeen. Picture date: Tuesday October 17, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS SNP. Photo credit should read: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

“If you don't have community police officers out there patrolling and picking up on that intelligence, then they’re missing out on so much.

“We're finding OCGs coming in from far away, entering communities, knowing there’s no police, and actually setting up whatever they want to do knowing that nobody knows.

“There’s nobody knocking on the door. Or even saying ‘how are you doing?’ It’s basics and we are totally missing out on that. And that is the basics that you pick up when officers would deal with shopkeepers; deal with schools.

Murdo Fraser. Picture: Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament

“The intelligence you pick up from interacting with kids during a [road] crossing is unbelievable.”

Mr Kennedy stressed that “you don't wake up one day and say ‘I'm going to rob a bank’ or ‘I’m going to make a bomb’.”

He added: “It starts at the low-level – people doing the small things.

“My biggest fear is we are falling into the trap that we can only go to the big things. And then what will happen is maybe not today, but five or 10 years’ time, we’re going to have really bad criminals within Scotland.”

Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, said that police officers have correctly highlighted “the perfect storm that the SNP have created due to years of shamefully neglecting Scottish policing, coupled with the absurd new Hate Crime Act”, which critics have warned is putting even more strain on services.

He added: “It stands to reason that organised crime will flourish and the threat of extremism grow if officer numbers are at their lowest level since 2008 and police stations are closing up and down Scotland.

“These brutal cuts have forced the police to abandon investigating certain crimes at the same time as they are being deluged with thousands of fresh complaints – many of them spurious or vexatious – under the reckless Hate Crime Act.

“SNP ministers are reaping what they sowed – and all of Scotland is suffering as a result. They must swallow their pride, ditch the Hate Crime Act and give our police the resources to tackle genuine threats to public safety.”

But a spokesperson for the Scottish Government pointed to a near £100 million increase in police funding in this financial year – up from £1.46 billion to £1.55 billion.

“The chief constable confirmed that this investment would enable Police Scotland to restart recruitment, and they recruited almost 200 new police officers last month,” they said.

“Scotland continues to have more police officers per head of population than England and Wales.

“Police Scotland continues to dispose of properties no longer fit for purpose or required for operational policing, while at the same time reinvesting in purpose-built properties to deliver modern premises capable of delivering more joined-up public services.

“Decisions on the deployment of resources are a matter for the chief constable.”

When approached for comment by The Scotsman, a Police Scotland spokeswoman pointed to comments chief constable Jo Farrell made to a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority board in February.

Ms Farrell said: “Our primary investment will always be in police officers. As chief constable, entrusted with significant public funding, I have a duty to ensure I maximise the number of experienced officers available to the frontline through the right investment in non-warranted support.

“So we will carefully examine which roles can and should be done by police staff, enabling a wider range of people access to a policing career and allowing even more of our officers to return to frontline and operational policing roles.

“Our aim is – must be - to bring the frontline of Scottish policing to the strongest position possible within the resources available.

“I think that’s my duty as chief constable, I think it is what the authority would expect and demand. Providing the highest possible level of safety and security with the funding available is what the people and communities of Scotland deserve and would expect.”