Civilians and policing

Civilian staff have been taking over more of the functions of police officers since 1985. The question of just how far that process can be taken has become newly controversial in the row over how the SNP is to fulfil its manifesto commitment to add 1000 new officers to Scotland's police forces. Extending the role of civilians could help to conjure more officers for the front line, but the debate became polarised last November after David Mulhern, chief executive of the Scottish Police Services Authority, suggested Scotland should follow the English model of employing police community support officers (PCSOs) to free police officers from work which did not require their full powers. That provoked considerable opposition from the Police Federation.