Fears Scotland could lose hundreds of police officers

That is up by two from the previous quarter but 77 lower than the total that was recorded in June 2017.

Police officers had increased after the SNP came into power in 2007, with the party committed to putting 1,000 extra police on the streets.

The commitment was first met in March to June 2009 and was maintained for several years before the total dropped to the equivalent of 17,170 full-time officers at the end of March 2018.

The latest figures mean in June this year there were the equivalent of 938 more full-time officers than in March 2007.

The Liberal Democrats raised fears the fall in police numbers over the last 12 months could lead to more cuts in the future.

Justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “Officers are stretched to the extent that they are warning beat policing has ‘effectively died off entirely’ in some areas. They will therefore be apprehensive about the possibility of having hundreds fewer colleagues in future.”

He urged Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority to “listen to staff and act on their concerns, starting with conducting the overdue service-wide survey”.

Mr McArthur also argued an independent commission was needed to look at policing after the SNP’s “botched” centralisation programme led to the creation of a single national force.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Police officer numbers have remained stable over the last quarter and remain significantly above the numbers inherited by this government in 2007.

“This contrasts starkly with a 13.8 per cent reduction in officer numbers in England and Wales over the same period.

“Through the Policing 2026 strategy, Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority are committed to ensuring they have the right workforce mix of frontline police officers, civilian specialists and other  staff to manage the new  challenges of modern criminal activity and keep people safe from harm. 

“The strategy is starting to take effect.”