Scottish Labour claim police and fire services in 'turmoil' over budgets
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A fair deal for both police and the fire service in the upcoming Scottish budget has been called for by Labour politicians.
MSPs on the Criminal Justice Committee were told on Wednesday that the police are currently having to make £18.9 million of additional savings between August and March to balance the books this financial year.
Their budget pressures are being dealt with partly by cutting officer numbers and closing 30 police stations.
The force warned that they were “going to have to take a lot of pain” and that the changes required are “going to impact on our ability to respond.”
They refused to rule out expanding a controversial pilot scheme currently taking place in the north east of Scotland where some crimes are not investigated, attributed to a lack of resources.
Police Scotland’s deputy chief also said that a pledge by First Minister Humza Yousaf to roll out body cams for officers might not take place this year, again due to budget pressures.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service also has to make £11 million of savings in this financial year.
They are warning that if further savings are expected next year they will have to cut firefighter numbers and reduce the number of fire appliances.
Scottish Labour Justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill, speaking on Wednesday, said: “If the SNP do not listen to the shocking evidence the Criminal Justice Committee heard this morning, they will be presiding over devastating police officer and staff cuts and undermining the ability of our police and fire services to keep our communities safe.
“The SNP must listen to these stark warnings and act now to address this turmoil.”
