Police Scotland

Ministers and Scottish Government officials regularly meet representatives of Police Scotland. My most recent engagement was yesterday when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government and I met the chief constable to discuss the policing budget. I meet the chief constable on a regular basis, and we cover a range of topics such as Police Scotland’s three-year plan, stop and search, mental health and police pay negotiations.

Over the course of this Government, the level of violent crime has reduced. The member makes a good point about the increase in reported domestic violence. There is no doubt that our police officers do a demanding job day in, day out. That is one of the reasons why I have ensured that our police officers are among the best remunerated across these isles.

I have not cut the budget. In fact, I have increased the budget for policing in every year that I have been the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, and police numbers are stable at 16,500. There is work to be done in and around police stations. It is important that the estate is modernised and fit for purpose. I have seen that in my constituency with the closure of the police station in Livingston, where we now instead have the West Lothian civic centre, at which all partners are brought together.

The Government and the justice ministers were pleased to secure that specific funding of £3 million to tackle retail crime. I am happy to write to the member to tell him about some of the benefits that that resource has had.

It is important to recognise the scourge of shoplifting, particularly where it connects to serious organised crime. The member might be aware that I chair the serious organised crime task force, which I will be doing again tomorrow.

On the budget, we have a due process to go through. I very much hope that, on this occasion, Opposition parties, as part of their negotiations, will advocate for budget for the police. Last year, the only person who advocated for an increase in the budget was the Cabinet Secretary for Justice.

We will certainly be very interested in that, and work on that has already begun. That is, in part, through my engagement with the serious organised crime task force, where we, among other things, discuss the changing and growing threat of online harm. Other colleagues in other parts of the Government, including our education and child protection colleagues, are acutely aware of that, and the work on which they lead is also very focused on online harm.

I very much accept the point of principle that the member makes and agree that it is beholden on all of us to do more against that increasing threat.