Thousands of policing jobs could be lost as a result of Scottish Government spending plans, the single force has warned.
A new paper, prepared for a Holyrood committee, has complained the spending outlook is "extremely challenging and concerning”. The submission, made by Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, suggests without additional cash from the Scottish Government, the force could have to cut officer numbers by 4,500.
This would be if 5% wage rises had to be funded over the period up to 2026-27 with no extra cash. Both Chief Constable Iain Livingstone and SPA chair Martyn Evans have “expressed their concern" over the Government spending review.
