Hansard

I thank Police Scotland officers and staff for their dedication in keeping our communities safe. The Scottish Government recognises their vital role, which is why, building on last year’s record investment of £1.64 billion for policing, we will be investing further record funding of more than £1.7 billion in 2026-27. That includes uplifts for both resource and capital funding and will allow Police Scotland to deliver on its priorities, including front-line service delivery.

Our investment in policing has enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than it has at any time since 2013. Police Scotland has confirmed that there is a healthy recruitment pipeline, In that it has welcomed around 1,840 new officers since the beginning of 2024.

In addition, as of 30 September 2025, there were around 30 full-time-equivalent officers per 10,000 members of the population, in comparison with 24 full-time equivalent officers per 10,000 in England and Wales. I am sure that everyone will welcome the fact that our police officers are receiving the best basic pay in the UK at the minimum and maximum points of each rank.

Public safety and crime statistics are a key measurement of the effectiveness of policing. The latest published statistics, from September, show that recorded crime had halved from its peak in 1991 and that, since the Scottish National Party came into office, it has reduced by 38 per cent.

Last year’s Scottish crime and justice survey showed that the proportion of adults who felt safe walking alone after dark in their local area had increased from 66 per cent in 2008-09 to 75 per cent in 2023-24; the proportion who worried they that they would be physically assaulted in a public place had fallen from 31 per cent to 15 per cent; and the proportion who thought that people carrying knives was common in their area had fallen from 22 per cent to 13 per cent.

However, I completely understand that perceptions and experiences of safety can vary from area to area. Therefore, it is important that we talk about the facts in the round when we talk about crime and policing, in terms of both long-term trajectories and more recent changes. We need to use that information to understand the changing nature of crime.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, which created our national police service, also ensures that there is full operational independence, meaning that how and where officers are deployed are matters for the chief constable. The act also ensures that local authorities have a say in shaping priorities in their areas, which is better than was the case in the past. I recognise that community policing is a vital part of keeping our communities safe, which is why I welcome that it is front and centre in both Police Scotland’s three-year business plan and its strategic policing plan.

Turning to the wider justice system, the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 places victims and witnesses at the heart of a modern and fair justice system and includes significant new measures to meet the needs of the survivors of sexual offences. The act is part of a continually evolving justice landscape, with our police very much at the heart of it.

We all want to ensure that our officers have the time to police. There are significant endeavours to protect officers’ time and better deploy them through a range of initiatives that reduce unnecessary demand on policing and ensure that people receive the most appropriate support. That includes the distress brief intervention programme and the strengthening of the enhanced mental health pathway, which is underpinned by investment of £18.5 million for NHS 24, with referrals up by 36 per cent. For my part, I will keep pushing for better pace and scalability of reform.

Alongside that, summary case management is streamlining criminal justice processes by reducing avoidable court attendances, enabling cases to be progressed more efficiently and minimising the time that officers spend waiting in court. Members will recall that the pilot programme demonstrated that 500 summary trials were not required to be fixed, which ensured that 18,000 witnesses, including 11,000 police officers, did not have to attend court. The roll-out of summary case management, the digital evidence-sharing capability programme and the use of body-worn video cameras are all vital reforms. Those initiatives, along with many others, will go a long way to ensure that mean officer hours are being released, which will allow greater focus on visible, front-line and community policing, crime prevention and protecting the public.

I move amendment S6M-20730.1, to leave out from “regrets” to end and insert:

“acknowledges that Scotland is a safe country with recorded crime having decreased by 38% since 2006-7 and that homicide is at its lowest level since comparable records began in 1976; recognises that in 2025-26, the Scottish Government increased police funding to a record £1.64 billion, investment which enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than at any time since 2013, and that the draft Budget has a further record investment in policing of £1.7 billion in 2026-27; condemns the UK Government’s employer national insurance increase, which is costing Police Scotland over £25 million every year; commends the hard work, dedication and commitment of all the officers and staff of Police Scotland; is pleased that police officers in Scotland receive the best basic pay in the UK at the minimum and maximum of each rank, and that there are around 30 full-time equivalent (FTE) officers per 10,000 population, compared with around 24 FTE officers in England and Wales; notes that Police Scotland has an important role to play in addressing community concerns or tensions and there should be no tolerance for hate crime in a modern society; recognises that, whilst the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows a long-term increase in the proportion of people who report feeling safe in their local area, perceptions of safety can vary significantly between communities; further recognises that, in September 2025, Parliament agreed the landmark Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Act, which will introduce reforms to place victims and witnesses at the heart of the justice and courts system, establish a Sexual Offences Court, improve the Victim Notification Scheme and parole system, and introduce a Victims Commissioner, and calls on the Scottish Government to continue its focus on reducing crime and reoffending and supporting victims.”