Humza Yousaf

The key findings of the statistics, published today by Scotland’s chief statistician, are:

• There were 17,175 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 31 December 2018.
• Police officer numbers have increased by 27 FTE officers (+0.2%) in the last quarter from 30 September 2018.
• Police officer numbers have decreased by 81 FTE officers (-0.5%) in the last year from 31 December 2017.
• This is an increase of 941 FTE police officers (+5.8%) from the 16,234 FTE police officers recorded at 31 March 2007.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Police officer numbers in Scotland remain significantly above the level in 2007, with an increase of over 900 since March 2007 – this contrasts with a reduction of almost 20,000 officers in England and Wales.

“Scotland’s single police service means communities across the country now benefit from specialist national and regional expertise. This includes police officers and staff in various divisions who are deployed across Scotland when local needs arise.

“We are carefully considering the implications of leaving the EU and intensive preparation is underway, including work with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland, who are responsible for operational policing decisions.

“We remain committed to protecting the police revenue budget in real terms in every year of this Parliament, delivering an additional £100 million over that period. However, the UK government’s chaotic approach to Brexit remains a significant threat to our public services.

“We are clear that any costs related to EU exit should not have a detrimental impact on Scotland’s public finances and should be met by the UK government in full.”