Highlands and Islands MSP Donald Cameron is urging the Scottish Government to back Scottish Conservative proposals for a Local Policing Act after new figures revealed a fall in the number of police officers in the Argyll and West Dunbartonshire division.
The Scottish Conservative MSP said: “Since the SNP centralised the police force we have seen a decline in the number of officers on the beat here.
“Since 2013, according to Police Scotland’s own figures, we have lost 28 officers from our local divisional area, and this at a time when local people are becoming ever more concerned about levels of crime.
“Our proposal for a Local Policing Act will put more bobbies on the beat, involve local people in policing decisions, and ensure our hardworking officers always have the resources they need, including decent modern police stations which, as we know, remains a significant problem in Argyll.
“SNP policies are all too often focussed on the Central Belt and ignore the requirements of more rural areas such as Argyll and Bute.
“That needs to change and a Local Policing Act would help drive a greater focus on combatting crime in regions like the one I represent.”
Between 2013 and the last available figures (Sept 2021) the numbers of police officers have been reduced from 570 to 542 in the Argyll and West Dunbartonshire division.
Police Scotland Quarter 3 Officer figures for the end of September are here: https://www.scotland.police.uk/spa-media/1ygjdhuq/police-scotland-officer-staff-numbers-quarter-3-30th-september-2021.docx
The numbers for the first period after Police Scotland was formed in December 2013 are here: Police Scotland Officer Numbers - Police Scotland (archive.org)