Home   News   Article

Crime surge sparks demand for Highland Council to call on John Swinney to deliver more police and better funding from the Scottish Government





Police incident Lombard Street Inverness
Police incident Lombard Street Inverness

Rising crime in recent years – including two cannabis farms getting busted on the same day in Dingwall and Wick – has sparked a demand Highland Council back getting more officers on the beat.

Two Inverness Councillors Michael Gregson and Alasdair Christie tabled a motion for council leader Raymond Bremner to write to the Scottish Government to urge “the First Minister to intervene and reinstate adequate funding for Police Scotland”.

According to a move by the pair: “New figures reveal that there are almost 1000 fewer police officers in Scotland than at the formation of Police Scotland in March 2013.”

At the moment they say that there are 16,553 full-time equivalent officers while in 2013 there 17,496, which they argue has led to “a dramatic rise in crime in the Highlands.”

Recent crime stats and reported incidents would appear to support that given increasingly violent incidents recently including an attack in Johnny Foxes, an arson attack at fairways business park and fire raising elsewhere.

They cite in particular antisocial behaviour, violence and disorder, serious organised crime, and acquisitive crime as problematic.

“The latter category has seen a 40.8 per cent rise (818 more crimes) against the five-year average,” they said.

The motion continued: “While we applaud the efforts of all police officers in their work to respond to this wave of criminality, and we appreciate that the targeting of resources is undertaken with skill and professionalism, nevertheless we believe the Scottish Government must show greater support for the police service.

“This being the case, this Council asks that the Leader write to the Scottish Government, expressing our concerns, and urging the First Minister to intervene and reinstate adequate funding for Police Scotland, in order that this most important service is able to protect and support Highland communities, as intended.”

The matter will be decided at Thursday’s full meeting of Highland Council.





This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More