Scottish Labour has said that the SNP’s election promise to deliver 1,000 extra police officers is set to be ‘torpedoed by SNP cuts’ after it emerged that Scotland’s largest police force has drawn up plans to cut at least 210 officers by the end of the financial year.
 
Strathclyde Police have been forced to draw up the plans as it desperately attempts to fill a budget black hole created by the SNP cutting funding to the force by £55m over the last three years.  
 
The proposal for cuts to officer numbers are due to be discussed at a meeting of the Strathclyde Police Authority on Thursday.
    
The news comes following a revelation last week that the force will seek to lose nearly 25% of its civilian support staff – 600 people – from as early as next month.
 
The SNP promised to deliver 1,000 extra officers by the end of their term in office. In order to achieve that manifesto commitment there would need to be 17,265 full-time equivalent police officers in May 2011.
  
Strathclyde Police have been responsible for delivering more than half of the SNP’s promised 1,000 extra police officers – increasing the number of officers by 587.
 
Scottish Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Richard Baker MSP, said:

”Alex Salmond’s much-promised policing pledge looks set to be torpedoed by the SNP’s own cuts.

”This is further evidence of the SNP’s here today, gone tomorrow police officers. Unless there are 17,265 full-time equivalent police officers in May 2011 this pledge will join the SNP’s scrapheap of broken election promises.

“The SNP have been warned for over a year by senior officers that forces have been pushed to the brink, yet the SNP have sat on their hands.
  
“The loss of so many officers in Strathclyde would have a huge impact on public safety. This is especially the case if remaining police officers are expected to fulfil some of the duties of the 600 or so civilian staff to go as well. Our police officers should be walking the beat, not driving a desk."

24 August 2010