Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
I am pleased to contribute to this debate on community policing, which speaks directly to how people across Scotland experience safety, reassurance and connection in their everyday lives. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of community policing, which, at its heart, allows security, trust and partnership to flourish in communities across the country.
With that in mind, the Government remains firmly committed to investing in policing and public safety, as we already heard from the cabinet secretary. The funding in this year’s budget enables Scotland to maintain one of the highest ratios of police officers per capita in the UK. As of December 2025, more than 16,400 officers were serving communities, which gives Police Scotland the scale and flexibility that are needed to respond effectively to local and national demands. That strong foundation matters, because community confidence grows when people see officers who know their area, understand local concerns and engage regularly with residents. That is something that everybody who has spoken in the debate is agreed on.
When I think about North Lanarkshire, and particularly my constituency of Coatbridge and Chryston, I do not recognise a lot of the descriptions that other members have given. I am not saying that I disagree with what other members have said, because it might well be the case in their areas. However, I associate myself more with the remarks of Rona Mackay. I have good relationships with the local police officers in my constituency, and I see the work that they do. They are in and out of schools and youth services. They are often involved in football tournaments with local kids. They are around and visible. They have good relationships with local councillors and the like. That collaborative approach helps to identify emerging issues, supports preventive action and builds lasting trust.
Initially, I had concerns about police officers being in schools, but those concerns were quickly eased when I met officers in Coatbridge high school and St Andrew’s high school in my constituency. The officers are not there in the typical police fashion; they are there to support young people who might be experiencing difficulties. That works really well—they have great relationships.
To give another example, Coatbridge community police officers have hosted community drop-ins and even worked alongside the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies in delivering the junior cop good citizen programme, which seeks to inform young people about respecting the community, fire safety, online safety, respect in relationships and road safety. Loads of good work is going on. In fact, when primary schools in my constituency have had issues with online bullying or whatever, they have got the local community cops to speak to the young kids to great effect. That has happened on at least a couple of occasions.
The Scottish Government has also invested in modern technology to support officers in their work. As Pauline McNeill mentioned, the roll-out of body-worn video cameras and digital evidence sharing systems is improving efficiency, enhancing officer safety and strengthening public confidence. By reducing administrative burdens and streamlining processes, those innovations will allow officers to spend more time in their communities, engaging directly with the people that they serve.
Support for community policing relies on recognising the wide range of situations that the police respond to every day. In the Criminal Justice Committee, we have looked at the issues around police officers responding to mental health crisis incidents. I agree with Pauline McNeill about that—the Criminal Justice Committee has done a lot of work on it and we need to look at areas where there is overlap with NHS services and how they can work jointly to take demand away from the police. I know that it is often a particularly difficult set of circumstances for officers to deal with.
Targeted initiatives demonstrate how focused investment can deliver tangible results. For example, the retail crime task force was supported by £3 million in funding and it has already made a measurable impact in tackling shoplifting and supporting retail workers. By combining visible policing with intelligence-led operations, the task force has strengthened safety and confidence across Scotland.