Police Federation chief warns of ‘policing deserts’ and chronic underinvestment

“Policing deserts” are taking hold across parts of Scotland due to chronic underinvestment, the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) has said.

Speaking at the body’s 99th annual conference at the Trump Turnberry Hotel, David Threadgold warned that a continued squeeze on Police Scotland’s resources was leading to officers exiting the force.

The SPF chair said there are now areas in the country “with an almost invisible policing presence”.

He criticised the Scottish Government for falling police numbers which he said is leading to higher workload for remaining staff.

Chronic underinvestment in policing and, in particular, the police estate has resulted in a situation where large areas of our country have become policing deserts with an almost invisible policing presence, providing an utterly reactive service

Mr Threadgold also said trust between officers, the chief constable and the Scottish Government had taken a hit during the most recent protracted pay negotiations which ended up in arbitration.

He said: “This process of negotiation was an incredibly frustrating, one-sided, and ultimately unsuccessful one which, in our view, has damaged the relationship between police officers, their chief constable and your Government, all of whom find it so easy to talk about the value of, and the priority placed on, policing and police officers in this country.”

He told members that police numbers had fallen from 17,496 at the inception of Police Scotland in 2013 to fewer than 16,000 officers now, by the SPF’s own calculations, although the number is disputed by Police Scotland which puts it at 16,631.

He told the conference: “Fewer officers facing increased demand creates record absence through physical and mental health illness, challenges with recruitment, retention and job satisfaction as well as an inevitable move to a more reactive service are inevitable consequences.”

He said that changes to pension regulations also risked a “crisis” in which more than 3,700 officers could retire within four years.

But it was not just officers that were in short supply, Mr Threadgold said, with more than 140 police stations across the country being closed down since 2013 and even more set to go.

He told those attending the conference: “Chronic underinvestment in policing and, in particular, the police estate has resulted in a situation where large areas of our country have become policing deserts with an almost invisible policing presence, providing an utterly reactive service.

“A recent SPF deep dive shows that some of our colleagues are still, 12 years into the creation of Police Scotland, working in terrible conditions, unfit and unacceptable for a modern, 21st-century service; the difference between the haves and the have-nots across the policing estate is, frankly, unacceptable and for that, your Government should be ashamed.

“The demand from the public, the scrutiny and the standards demanded of police officers in Scotland is rightly high, but expecting officers to perform to those levels in the environments we are forcing them to work in is simply unacceptable.”

Speaking to Justice Secretary Angela Constance, who is attending the conference, he added: “Cabinet Secretary, you will say investment in policing is at record levels, but this simply is not enough.

“Please do not try and fool the public into believing that Police Scotland being forced into closing police stations in rural communities or in areas of extremely high policing demand is anything other than a reactive financial decision being made to deal with that chronic lack of investment from your Government.

“You have been quoted as saying, ‘it is important to recognise that there are particular challenges for particular workforces in rural Scotland’ and that ‘the creation of the Scottish wide single police service means that all communities have greater access to national policing capabilities’.

“What these words actually mean is that, particularly for our rural communities, they will receive an increasingly reactive policing service with limited visibility, relevance and connection to our communities, unless something goes wrong.

“Your words fail to recognise the benefits of that engaged, visible and relevant police service across our communities, and our fear is that we create a situation where we lose the ability to deliver the most basic of policing functions across Scotland, and that should rightly concern us all.”

The Scottish Police Federation represents the majority of Police Scotland officers, up to the rank of chief inspector.

Ms Constance said: “We are investing a record £1.62 billion for policing in 2025-26 – an increase of £70 million on 2024-25 – and Police Scotland is taking on the highest number of recruits since 2013, with the chief constable stating that 123 new probationary constables took their oath of office this month, maintaining officer establishment at 16,631.

“Scottish police officers have consistently been the best paid in the UK, at the minimum and maximum of each rank. We welcome the outcome of the recent arbitration process, which means that police officers in Scotland will receive an uplift of 4.75%, backdated to April 1 2024, in their March salaries, recognising the hard work and valuable contribution that police officers make.

“Recruitment and deployment are operational matters for the chief constable, who has the flexibility to develop her workforce to best keep our communities safe.”

These damning remarks from rank-and-file officers expose the devastating impact SNP cuts are having on frontline policing.

Scottish Tory MSP Liam Kerr said: “These damning remarks from rank-and-file officers expose the devastating impact SNP cuts are having on frontline policing.

“For far too long, dedicated officers have been expected to do their job with one hand tied behind their backs, leaving communities up and down Scotland at the mercy of criminals.

“The recruitment and retention crisis facing the force is entirely of the SNP’s own making as they have ignored warnings from the police about the impact a fall in officer numbers is having on tackling rising levels of crime.

“SNP ministers must accept that policing our communities cannot simply be reliant on the goodwill of officers. They should show some common sense by finally providing Police Scotland with the funding they need to keep communities safe.”