Nwicker60
17-May-12, 15:57
Jobs will be cut to fund national force
SCOTTISH Labour has warned the SNP government is undermining confidence in moves towards the new single police force, after they refused to order an independent audit into the impact of huge cuts to civilian posts.
There is widespread concern that the SNP’s cuts to police staff are leading to police officers being taken off the beat to complete back office jobs.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and trade unions have estimated that around 1,000 staff posts have been cut by the SNP to date.
ACPOS has also warned that the only way to meet the savings for a single Scottish police force thousands more will have to be cut.
Despite these warnings, the SNP government rejected the party’s calls to conduct such a study during a Scottish Labour debate on the issue.
Scottish Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, Lewis Macdonald MSP, said:
“The Justice Secretary seems to be in denial about the impact his deep cuts to police staff are having.
“Modern mixed teams of officers and staff are fast disappearing in the face of the political imperative of delivering huge cuts, in a very short period of time.
“The Justice Secretary admitted last week that his support for a single police force was ultimately down to financial pressures. That must be what lies behind his U-turn on the issue of civilian staff in the police service: once a desirable commodity, now an expendable luxury.
“By rejecting our positive offer for a national audit, the SNP government is denying Scotland real scrutiny of the single police force and undermining confidence in the process.
“If the Justice Secretary had nothing to hide, then he should have nothing to fear from an independent study that clearly assesses the impact SNP cuts are having on the delivery of policing.
“Kenny MacAskill is becoming increasingly isolated and his refusal to hold an independent audit is an admission that his deep cuts to police staff are damaging policing in Scotland.
“Ministers are asking for a good deal of power over the police service to be concentrated in their hands. If they want to keep public trust in the creation of a single police service, they must deliver transparency in return.”
SCOTTISH Labour has warned the SNP government is undermining confidence in moves towards the new single police force, after they refused to order an independent audit into the impact of huge cuts to civilian posts.
There is widespread concern that the SNP’s cuts to police staff are leading to police officers being taken off the beat to complete back office jobs.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and trade unions have estimated that around 1,000 staff posts have been cut by the SNP to date.
ACPOS has also warned that the only way to meet the savings for a single Scottish police force thousands more will have to be cut.
Despite these warnings, the SNP government rejected the party’s calls to conduct such a study during a Scottish Labour debate on the issue.
Scottish Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, Lewis Macdonald MSP, said:
“The Justice Secretary seems to be in denial about the impact his deep cuts to police staff are having.
“Modern mixed teams of officers and staff are fast disappearing in the face of the political imperative of delivering huge cuts, in a very short period of time.
“The Justice Secretary admitted last week that his support for a single police force was ultimately down to financial pressures. That must be what lies behind his U-turn on the issue of civilian staff in the police service: once a desirable commodity, now an expendable luxury.
“By rejecting our positive offer for a national audit, the SNP government is denying Scotland real scrutiny of the single police force and undermining confidence in the process.
“If the Justice Secretary had nothing to hide, then he should have nothing to fear from an independent study that clearly assesses the impact SNP cuts are having on the delivery of policing.
“Kenny MacAskill is becoming increasingly isolated and his refusal to hold an independent audit is an admission that his deep cuts to police staff are damaging policing in Scotland.
“Ministers are asking for a good deal of power over the police service to be concentrated in their hands. If they want to keep public trust in the creation of a single police service, they must deliver transparency in return.”