From STV yesterday:
Numbers of special constables within Police Scotland have fallen by 73% since the national police service was formed, the Scottish Lib Dems say. Figures obtained by the party through freedom of information show there were 383 special constables in 2023/24. This is a decrease from 1,394 in 2013.
The special constabulary is trained to the same standard as the rest of the police service, however, it operates on a volunteer basis. Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “Special constables are an important link between communities and the police service because they can provide valuable local knowledge. On the SNP’s watch, however, their numbers are collapsing into extinction.
“The police service is stretched like never before. At a time when the police need all the help they can get, ministers are letting a useful role with a proud history fade away year after year.
From Police Scotland:
As of June 30, 2024, there were 16,207 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland.
So, Special ie part-time unpaid officers constituted 8.6% of the total force ten years ago and now make up only 2.4%.
Why did Police Scotland allow this to happen?
First, because they could afford to, with 295 officers per 100 000 people compared to only 244 per 100 000 in England and Wales.
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00634/SN00634.pdf
Second, because research has found that special constables ‘often occupy a precarious, contested, and ill-defined role within police organizations.’
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
The Lib Dems commenting on ‘Special Constables’ triggered a memory: is this to be an annual press statement?
I posted what follows on TuS btl on 23 December 2023 in response to similar media coverage:
‘Marked falls in numbers of Special Constables in UK police forces have been happening for a decade or more. The reduction in numbers in England and Wales has been reported from time to time in the BBC and mainstream media – notably without ‘alarms’! (in headlines)
‘Some stats: headcount for Special Constables in England and Wales, at March 2023: England = 6,528 – down 19.8% compared to March 2022 . Wales = 313 – down 23.3% compared to March 2022 Total for England + Wales = 6,841 at March 2023
Source https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2023
‘Statistic for March 2014: Total for England + Wales = 17,789 – a decrease of 6.4 per cent compared with a year earlier.
‘So, between March 2014 and March 2023 there has been a reduction in the number of Special Constables in England and Wales of 10,948 i.e. a drop in numbers by 61.5%. For whatever reason, there is a common pattern here: is it only in Scotland that a supposedly serious newspaper raises an ‘alarm’ and is content to be complicit in crass politicisation?
‘The Scottish Lib Dems press release on this issue reports a 71% drop in numbers of Special Constables in Scotland since 2013/14 and yes 71% is greater than 61.5%. It then associates this fall with the centralisation of Police Scotland – doing so without presenting any evidence of a causal link.
‘There has been no new centralisation of police forces in England or in Wales but still big falls in numbers of Special Constables. This is Lib Dem politicians and their research staff showing contempt for the voting public by use of spurious claims.
‘Notably, the above statistics for England and Wales are expressed as ‘headcount’: as Special Constables don’t have ‘contracted working hours’, the official data can’t provide an indication of Full Time Equivalent contributions to police operations! Also, the UK government document referenced above includes this on staff retention: ‘… worker types with higher turnover, such as special constables.’
Candidly, can’t be motivated to update the England and Wales stats today!
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Thank God for FOI requests !
How would the Libdems remain relevant if they didn’t continually waste Scottish Government time /money on frivolous trivia that no one gives a f8ck about ?
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LibDems and STV are deploying the ‘big percentage of a small number’ fallacy here to make things appear REALLY BAD.
If an average of 4 occurrences happen per year based on a, say, 20 year average and if, in one year, there are 6 occurrences, then this increase of 2 is 50% of the average. So, the media and the LibDems portray this as ‘soaring’, and, if it is ‘soaring’ then it must be bad.
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No doubt matters have changed since I was a cop, but, to put it bluntly, specials were, in most cases, a hinderance to the regular force. You depended entirely on your “neighbour” in any given situation, and these people, good intentioned no doubt, had other occupations outside the job, and were not dependent on their police salary. So you always tried to make sure if a special were assigned to patrol with you, you tried to avoid any situations where you had to rely on their support. Sorry about that, but it’s the truth.
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