POLICE Scotland’s operational capabilities are being limited by falling officer numbers, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has said.
As a result, Police Scotland are launching a new recruitment bid over the summer to attract new officers.
Official figures published at the start of May showed the number of full-time equivalent officers fell by 312 during the first three months of the year, reaching the lowest level since 2008.
Livingstone said he’s “hugely grateful for the commitment of our officers and staff” whilst the force is facing an “increase in community needs at a time of lower resource levels.”
The decline represented 1.8% of the force’s overall strength, meaning it had 16 805 full-time equivalent police officers as of March 31.
The Chief Constable added: “I think it is important for me to acknowledge there are and will be pressures on our operational capabilities as we address and mitigate these resource pressures in the short to medium term.
“Additionally the implication of pension changes mean that a number of officers over the age of 50 are choosing to retire slightly earlier than we had anticipated to regain our full officer establishment.
“We are exploring how we can further increase recruitment, and this summer members will see a recruitment campaign being launched publicly, which seeks to encourage and further support new applicants across the whole country and across the whole of Scotland.”
Livingstone spoke about the “relentless and demanding nature of policing” as he addressed the SPA.
He explained that the Covid pandemic, combined with the demands of policing the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow last year, meant there had been “a longer period between recruitment intakes than had previously been anticipated.
“Additionally, the implication of pension changes mean that a number of officers over the age of 50 are choosing to retire slightly earlier than would be the case.
“The effect of all these matters mean overall officer numbers are lower than would otherwise have been the case, and it will take longer than we had anticipated to regain our full officer establishment.”
The force is looking to take on “around 300 probationary constables each quarter over the next year.”
