Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
Presiding Officer,
“Community policing matters to us all. It brings significant benefits by strengthening trust, visibility and collaboration between police and the public.”
Those are not my words; they are the words of Stuart Murray, the community policing chief inspector in East Dunbartonshire, whose team works closely with residents and business, doing exactly what the role of community police should be about.
For the past decade, I have witnessed local community police in my constituency address issues proactively, whether by tackling shoplifting through targeted patrols, working in partnership with retailers or reducing youth disorder by building positive relationships and offering early interventions. That said, I take Pauline McNeill’s point about younger children carrying weapons, which is very concerning.
As Stuart Murray has said, regular engagement, including holding community surgeries in the form of pop-ups across the East Dunbartonshire area, helps residents to feel heard and supported while providing accessible opportunities to share concerns. That approach not only improves safety and gives reassurance but empowers communities to play an active role alongside their local problem-solving policing teams.
There has been no decline in community policing in Strathkelvin and Bearsden over the years—if anything, it has been stepped up incrementally. That brings me to the Labour motion. I do not believe that it is representative of what is happening on the ground. I am sure that things are not perfect, but I do not think that my constituency will be that unusual.
Police Scotland is operationally independent, but the SNP has delivered a higher number of police officers per capita than England and Wales. In addition, the 2026-27 Scottish budget is delivering record investment of more than £1.7 billion for police services.
Police Scotland’s three-year plan includes a number of measures that are aimed at enhancing community policing to help to keep our communities safe. That includes preventing and reducing crime and offending, as well as striving to transform societal attitudes and the circumstances that contribute to the perpetuation of harm.
There are plans to deliver high-quality and efficient public services through a range of initiatives, including, as we have heard, the rolling out of body-worn video technology and digital evidence-sharing capability—game-changing technologies that will increase public confidence in policing. Funding for the retail crime task force has also been maintained at £3 million, supporting efforts to prevent shop-based theft and pursue those responsible for it.
In addition, Scottish Government funding has allowed Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the most recent financial year than at any time since 2013. As we have heard, as of December last year, there were 16,416 officers. It is for the chief constable, under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority, to deploy those officers, and they have been clear on the importance and priority of recruitment during evidence given to the Criminal Justice Committee.
The SNP Government cares deeply about crime and the safety of those living here. Indeed, levels of recorded crime have decreased by 38 per cent since 2006, and homicide is at its lowest level since comparable records began in 1976. In September last year, Parliament passed the landmark Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which will introduce reforms to place victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice and courts system.
Of course, it should never be forgotten that the Labour UK Government’s increase to employer national insurance contributions costs Police Scotland more than £25 million every year, which has a considerable impact on any budget planning.
In conclusion, I congratulate our hard-working officers on carrying out their duties with empathy and efficiency every day to keep us all safe.