HEALTH spending should not be protected at the expense of Police Scotland’s budget, the head of the officers' union has said as the force faces crippling austerity measures.
Calum Steele, the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, warned Police Scotland is standing on a financial “precipice” if expected cuts to its budget go ahead, which MSPs were warned could see officers pull back from critical services like community policing.
He said the Scottish Government could not protect the health budget on the basis it would mean making deeper cuts to other parts of the state.
