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Date: 30 November 2010
UNISON Scotland attacks police budget plan
UNISON Scotland will issue a stark warning to MSPs today – cut
police staff and you cut frontline services.
The union will tell Holyrood’s Justice Committee that reducing
the number of police staff will result in a reduction of services,
less police officers on the beat and a potential increase in crime
in local communities.
It has also branded the Government’s plans to recruit 1,000 additional
police officers as nothing more than a “cosmetic political exercise”.
Police boards currently face a real terms cut of at least six
per cent and, as police numbers have to be maintained, the cuts
will fall almost entirely on police (civilian) staff. Boards have
also reported that, as a consequence, they will have to backfill
civilian posts with police officers.
UNISON’s Scottish Organiser Dave Watson said: “Police staff deliver
a wide range of routine, complex and specialised functions that
are central to modern day police forces, while allowing uniformed
officers to concentrate on operational policing duties.
“Maintaining an additional 1,000 police officers in this budget
is a purely cosmetic political exercise. In practice, even more
police officers will be taken off the street to perform tasks
they are unsuited or unqualified to do - at a huge additional
cost to the taxpayer.”
Many forces in Scotland are already way behind in the efficient
deployment of police staffs. In England, 39% of police personnel
are civilians (32% excluding PCSOs), while in Scotland it has
fallen to 26.5%.
The best forces in Scotland have modernised to these levels:
Dumfries & Galloway has 33% while outdated Strathclyde can only
manage 25%.
He added: “This budget means that efficient forces like Dumfries
& Galloway will be dragged down to the levels of the worst; like
Strathclyde who have large numbers of police officers behind a
desk rather than fighting crime.
“Focusing cuts on police staffs will have serious implications
for policing across Scotland and it is vital that we protect the
ability to deliver our frontline services.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1.UNISON will make its points at the Scottish Parliament this
morning when it gives evidence on the Scottish Government’s Draft
Budget 2011-12.
2. For further information please see UNISON’s report on police
civilianisation in Scotland at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/police/CivilianisationofPoliceFinalReport.pdf
3.For more information on UNISON’s alternatives to the cuts visit:
www.unison-scotland.org.uk
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