From a Police Scotland Freedom of Information response on 17 December 2024, we see a steady increase in the force’s readiness to dismiss officers who have abused their position, from only 1 in 2019, to 7, 8 and 11 in the last three years.
This follows Police Scotland action in2021:
A new verification check for lone police officers in Scotland has been introduced in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard. Police Scotland said it wanted to reassure the public after she was abducted and killed by Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens.
Couzens, 48, used his warrant card to abduct Ms Everard from a south London street before raping and murdering her. Members of the public in Scotland can now request a control room check.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58776349
Action, doing something but what about in London where these events began? What is the Met doing? Well, nothing yet. From the Times today:
Flashers and perverts remain eligible to join the Metropolitan Police and other forces because of a loophole in vetting. The anomaly means that Wayne Couzens, the officer who raped and murdered Sarah Everard, would probably still have been hired by the Met even if he had been arrested for exposing himself.https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rethink-vetting-loophole-that-lets-sex-perverts-join-the-police-kj0wvx0jh
Resignations have also plummeted in the last year, from 260 in 2023 to 215 in 2024, a 175 reduction in only one year.
Why might that be:
First, demand:
Crime did increase last year from 523 per 10 000 population to 528 per 10 000 population, less than 1%, but:
Look at the level of crime in 2006 just before the SNP came to power and the 50% fall to 2022-2023. Overall, reported crime is at only half the level it was when Labour last ruled!
I know critics will say lots of crime is not reported. True, but public opinion tells the very same story as the police reporting.
The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) is based on 5 600 face-to-face interviews. This is a very large sample, scientifically constructed to represent all social groups. Compared with opinion polls with samples of around 1 000, this method is gold-standard for validity and reliability.
It found an estimated 494,000 crimes in 2021/22 [Down 53% since 2008/9] , of which 360,000 (73%) were property crimes and 133,000 (27%) were violent crimes. Since 2008/09 property crime has halved (down 51%) whilst violent crime has fallen by 58% over the same time period.
Police Scotland figures for the same year suggest 289 362 crimes, considerably lower than the 494 000 estimate, based on the 5 600 interviews but, crucially, suggest a very similar fall in the level.
The SCJS figures tells us that people are reporting a 53% fall in all crime from 2008/9, to them.
The Police reporting figures tell us that people are reporting a fall from a round 500 000 to 300 000, of 40%, to them.
Either way a big fall is confirmed and it might be the case that the Police figures understate that fall.
Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2021/22 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Second, police officer numbers reduced? Not true:
From Scotland’s Chief Statistician on 1 August 2023, published statistics on Police Officer Quarterly Strength, which gives the number of full-time equivalent police officers employed by Police Scotland:
The key findings of the statistics are:
- There were 16,600 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 30 June 2023
- Police officer numbers decreased by 15 FTE officers (-0.1%) in the last quarter from 31 March 2023
- Police officer numbers decreased by 11 FTE officers (-0.1%) in the last year from 30 June 2022
- This is an increase of 366 FTE police officers (+2.3%) from the 16,234 FTE police officers recorded at 31 March 2007
So, a statistically insignificant fall of less than 1% in the last year but more police officers than under Labour yet with only just over half the crime rate.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/police-officer-quarterly-strength-statistics-30-june-2023
Half the crime, a trend for more officers.
Source:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Good for Scotland, bad news for the British propaganda machine. Police can be dodgy, I know a single female who was searched and forced to the station for an alleged person reporting a dog bite, questioned, no support, they kicked her dog, pushed her, switched off their coms and made her say it was all tickety boo at the end of the trauma. They must get kicks out of bullying single women. They should have been sacked but no proof.
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A couple of points on this:
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