Scotland’s Justice Secretary has pointed out that there are five more police officers in Dumfries and Galloway than there were 12 months ago.
The level of policing in the region has come under the spotlight in recent months, with the council recently agreeing to write to Holyrood to demand more financial support for the emergency services.
And South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth this week raised the matter in the chamber with Justice Secretary Angela Constance.
Mr Smyth said: “We have seen police officer numbers plummet right across Scotland in recent years. In the smallest division, Dumfries and Galloway, numbers have been cut from 411 in June 2020 to just 354, which means that, at certain times, just a couple of officers are covering a huge geographical area.
“Can the cabinet secretary confirm whether the recent budget means that we will return to the levels of June 2020 in Dumfries and Galloway?
“Given that the SNP’s commitment to maintain police numbers at the level when Police Scotland was established, a decade ago, now seems dead in the water, what exactly is the Government’s current specific target for officer numbers?”
Ms Constance replied: “The establishment and agreement of officer numbers is, of course, an operational matter for the chief constable.
“When she appeared at the criminal justice committee just before Christmas, she made it very clear that she welcomed the budget settlement and that it would enable Police Scotland to retain police numbers of around 16,500 or 16,600.
“It is important to remember that we now have nearly 400 more officers than we had in 2006-07. In the Dumfries and Galloway divisional area, there were 354 officers as of 30 September 2023, which compares to 349 on 30 September the year before.
“I hope that that small increase gives some reassurance to Mr Smyth about the stabilisation of police resources in his area.”
A council report in November estimated the number of officers serving the region was closer to 320.
But last month, Chief Superintendent John Cairns told councillors that a dozen probationary constables had started in the region.
South Scotland SNP MSP Emma Harper told the chamber that when she met CS Cairns, he had spoken of the “huge challenges” created by the area’s rural nature.
She asked Ms Constance if the region could be considered a priority area for police recruitment after the end of the current recruitment freeze.
Ms Constance replied: “It is important to recognise that there are particular challenges for particular workforces in rural Scotland. That is why Police Scotland has undertaken targeted recruitment, including in Stranraer and Dumfries last year.”
