Scottish Labour today warned that progress made in tackling crime will be seriously undermined by SNP cuts to police officers and support staff.
 
New figures out today showed that the increase in police numbers had almost ground to a halt and would be heavily reversed by planned cuts across Scotland.
 
Scottish Labour’s Justice spokesman Richard Baker welcomed a fall in overall reported crime but said he was concerned over a ‘worrying rise’ in sexual offences including rises of 35 per cent in Fife and 21 per cent in Central Scotland.
 
Richard Baker said:
 
"I am deeply concerned that if the SNP fails to protect police numbers and frontline services as is expected that this will undermine the ability of the police to keep our communities safe.
 
If we are to make progress in the fight against crime the Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill needs to listen to the warnings from organisations like the Police Federation not continue to be complacent about his ‘here today - gone tomorrow’ police pledge. Today we have seen reductions in police numbers in three forces.
 
“Falls in recorded crime are welcome but we know from the Scottish Crime and Justice survey that 94 per cent of adults see crime as a problem with half of adults seeing it as a ‘big problem’.
 
“There are still far too many weapons offences and as knife campaigners have said we still need mandatory minimum sentences for knife crime alongside other interventions such as education and diversionary activities.
 
“I am also very worried that we have seen a rise in reports of crime of indecency with large increases in two police forces.
 
“Violent crime in Scotland is still running at a much higher rate that the rest of the UK and further progress will need to be made. Only having a strong and well resource police service will deliver that change.”

7 September 2010