Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:

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Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04  Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON

Looking at the above two graphs, you’ll see that the SNP Government arrived in the middle of a spike in crime in 2007 and maintained a high level of police staffing to drive it down, only reducing the staffing from 2020, by which time crime had plummeted by almost half and stabilised there.

Nevertheless, as you’ll see below police officer numbers are as high today as they were before the increase.

From the Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report: February 2026, published yesterday:

There were 16,416 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers in Scotland on 31 December 2025. This was 182 (+1.1%) more officers compared to the position on 31 March 2007, and 91 (-0.6%) more than on 31 December 2024.

^{https://www.gov.scot/publications/safer-communities-and-justice-statistics-monthly-data-report-february-2026/pages/statistics-on-policing/}

Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland

Click on the above.

Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04  Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON