Scotland’s police forces have already recruited 440 of the 450 police recruits that the Scottish Government has pledged to recruit by the end of March 2009, according to the SNP administration.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed the news as figures released by the Scottish Government today show that at the end of September this year there were more police officers in Scotland than ever before.
The most recent police quarterly strength figures covering the period July 1, 08 – September 30, 08 show that there were 16,526 police officers in Scotland, the highest figure ever recorded.
This is an increase of 188 officers compared to the previous quarter and an increase of 292 since March 2007.
This latest quarterly increase includes 137 more officers in the Strathclyde force, 16 in Central and 10 more in both Tayside and Northern.
Commenting on the figures before meeting new recruits who have recently joined the Strathclyde force, Kenny MacAskill said:
"The fact that 440 of the 450 new centrally-funded police recruits we pledged for this financial year have already been recruited is tangible proof of the Scottish Government’s commitment to make an additional 1,000 officers available in our communities.
"Coupled with the highest ever number of officers serving our communities and policing our streets we are delivering a more visible policing presence on Scotland’s streets, deterring crime and reassuring our citizens.
"This welcome increase in the number of officers is in part the result of our direct recruitment of new officers, over and above the recruitment plans of our police forces. Already the resources and policies now in place are delivering improved policing for Scotland.
"Our Chief Constables should be congratulated for redeploying their officers and delivering more police on our streets as this Government delivers record numbers to our police forces.
"We inherited the lowest recruitment since devolution with many officers due to retire. We’ve tackled that challenge head on, and although these latest figures are reassuring, there remains much work to be done.
"Furthermore, the key to the police service’s ability to respond is not just its size, but its capacity. The right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. That’s why this Government is focussing on building the capacity of the police service in Scotland – not just the numbers.
"We have set out plans to deliver a more visible policing presence on Scotland’s streets and make an additional 1,000 officers available in our communities. We are not just delivering on this but going substantially beyond, by also looking at recruitment, retention and redeployment."
