Meeting of the Parliament 08 October 2014
We have discussed policing many times in the chamber over the past 18 months. The Parliament and three committees debated the legislation at length before it was overwhelmingly approved by the Parliament, including all Labour members. I have taken part in many debates and have answered hundreds of questions, and the First Minister has been asked about policing on numerous occasions. The Justice Sub-Committee on Policing has met on 22 occasions. At the local level, there are now 360 councillors who have a say in policing—an increase of around 150 per cent.
Policing is subject to more effective scrutiny now than ever before, and the debate must be seen against that backdrop. I appreciate that members want to ensure that the new arrangements are working well, and they are.
We had to establish a single service to protect policing from Westminster budget cuts. Reform ensures that our policing continues to perform excellently. Scotland is a safer place; officer numbers are high; confidence in the police is high and rising; and crime is at a 39-year low. In Scotland, we have the best possible police service.
Members should compare the situation here with that south of the border, where policing has been devastated by successive Governments. More than 14,000 officers have been axed since 2007, and numbers are now at their lowest since September 2001.