Chief constable calls for millions in funding to recruit 350 new officers

Whether it’s policing high profile football games, or demonstrations between pro and anti-immigration groups, Police Scotland’s officers are feeling the strain.

The most senior police chief in the country, Chief Constable Jo Farrell, is calling on the Scottish Government to provide millions of pounds in additional funding.

She has said this can hopefully bring in at least 350 new officers.

“What we’ve seen across the lifetime of the organisation is a change in relation to crime”, she said.

“Growing crime trends, particularly around violence against women and girls.

“And it’s important policing is resourced well to deliver across the various elements of my vision that we keep people safe, we support victims and we drive down crime.”

Police Scotland is aiming to get more officers into communities.

Increasing their presence in towns and cities to more effectively deal with non-emergency crime and free up frontline officers to tackle rising anti-social behaviour.

Police Scotland says its frontline resources have become “reactive rather than proactive”.

“It allows our response policing teams to focus on the core aspects of immediate and urgent response”, Assistant Chief Constable Phil Davison said.

“The highest threat, risk and harm areas of focus that we need to concentrate on in local areas.”

One caveat to that – the number of officers in Police Scotland is on the decline.

There are currently around 16,400. A decade ago, that figure was over 17,200.

The Scottish Government says it’s providing record funding for the force this year, of more than £1.7bn.

And says the number of officers in the force, is higher per population, than in England and Wales.

Justice Secretary Neil Gray said: “I welcome Police Scotland’s commitment to community policing and the benefits that the model is delivering.

“We are providing record funding of more than £1.7bn for policing in 2026-27 and the Chief Constable has confirmed that this investment will enable Police Scotland to maintain officer numbers at 16,500 while continuing to prioritise front-line services.

“Scotland continues to have more police officers per capita than England and Wales.

“We will continue to work with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority to understand their 2027-28 budget requirements.”