The SNP have been accused of making Scotland less safe by presiding over an exodus of experienced officers from the police, prison and fire services.
In total, Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have suffered a reduction of 1,742 in the number of frontline staff with more than 10 years’ experience, compared with 2019, according to figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives.
Police Scotland now has 903 fewer police officers with a decade or more experience. This comes as resignations are rising, violent crime is increasing and the Scottish Police Federation say officers are exhausted.
The Scottish Prison Service now has 219 fewer prison officers with ten years’ experience. Meanwhile, officers are facing rising violence and the Scottish Prison Officers Association say that the system is under extreme pressure, taking a huge toll on officers.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has 620 fewer wholetime operational firefighters with ten years’ experience, amid a crumbling estate and increased response times.
Shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said the blame for the exodus of experienced officers “lies squarely at the door of the SNP” who he accused of mismanaging the justice system.
Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr MSP said: “The huge loss of experienced staff across the justice system is inevitably jeopardising public safety, as well as making a hard job even tougher for those remaining.
“Our police, prison and fire services are poorer for losing seasoned staff, and Scotland is less safe as a result.
“The blame for this damaging exodus lies squarely at the door of the SNP.
“Nationalist cuts and mismanagement mean that officers are being asked to do more with less, in crumbling offices, while being undermined by soft-touch policies.
“Recruitment and retention must be an urgent priority for the SNP – and that means giving experienced staff a reason to stay.
“Law-abiding Scots deserve better than an SNP Government who would rather pander to criminals than respect the needs of victims.
“The Scottish Conservatives will always support our frontline justice workers.”
Notes to editors
Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have lost a combined 1,742 police officers, prison officers, and wholetime firefighters with over ten years’ experience since 2019. Police Scotland has 903 fewer police officers with over 10 years’ experience, the Scottish Prison Service has 219 fewer prison officers with over 10 years’ experience, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has 620 fewer wholetime operational firefighters with over 10 years’ experience. (Police Scotland FOI, 15 October 2025, available upon request; Scottish Prison Service, 2 December 2025, available upon request; Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Accessed 10 December 2025, link)
Police Scotland has 903 fewer police officers with over 10 years’ experience compared to 2019. As of August 2025, Police Scotland has 9,966 police officers with more than ten years’ service. This is a decrease of 903 compared to the 10,869 police officers with more than ten years’ service it had in 2019. (Police Scotland FOI, 15 October 2025, available upon request)
The Scottish Prison Service has 219 fewer prison officers with over 10 years’ experience compared to 2019. As of November 2025, the Scottish Prison Service has 1,666 prison officers with more than ten years’ service. This is a decrease of 219 compared to the 1,885 prison officers with more than ten years’ service it had in March 2019. (Scottish Prison Service, 2 December 2025, available upon request)
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has 620 fewer wholetime operational firefighters with over 10 years’ experience compared to 2019. As of March 2025, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had 2,150 wholetime operational firefighters with more than ten years’ service. This is a decrease of 620 compared to the 2,770 wholetime operational firefighters with more than ten years’ service they had in March 2019. (Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Accessed 10 December 2025, link)
Phil Fairlie of the Scottish Prison Officers Association has warned that understaffing has left the prison service at breaking point. Fairlie said, “Scotland's prison system is under extreme pressure like never before. The toxic combination of overcrowding and understaffing, added to the complexity of the prisoner population is having a huge impact on every prison officer in every jail.” (BBC News, 29 October 2025, link)
There are over 250 assaults on prison staff by inmates every year in Scotland. There have been 2,562 prisoner-on-staff assaults over the past decade, with an average of 256 a year. At the Government-run HMP Barlinnie, there have been nearly 3,000 assaults recorded since 2015/16. This includes 2,601 by one prisoner against another, and 365 incidents against a member of staff. (The Scotsman, 28 December 2024, link; STV News, 28 December, link)
The Scottish Police Federation say police officers are leaving early because they are exhausted. Scottish Police Federation Chair David Kennedy said, “People don’t see the service as what it was. In a different climate you might see people who are eligible for retirement who don’t want to [leave the force] because they don’t have to. If they felt happy in their job, I think they might stay, but they’re not going to. That’s why they’re leaving – because they’re exhausted. What that does is put further pressure on the service, so Police Scotland needs to up its recruitment. But you’re also losing vast experience – that’s the big issue.” (Glasgow Times, 2 September 2025, link)
Police officer resignations have increased in recent years. There were 157 resignations from Police Scotland in 2021, 194 in 2022, 260 in 2023 and 215 in 2024. (1919, February 2025, link)
The response time for all 999 calls to the SFRS reached its slowest rate in 10 years in 2024. The median response time for the SFRS to arrive in 2014 was 6 minutes and 51 seconds but this had increased to 8 minutes and 20 seconds by 2024 – a 21% increase. (SFRS FOI, 1 July 2025, available upon request).
45% of fire stations are in poor or bad condition. Around 61% of SFRS buildings are over 30 years old; 45% of operational property estate is currently in poor or bad condition, and 75% are deemed unsuitable. (Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, 30 April 2024, link)
Between 2013 and 2023, the SFRS saw its funding levels cut by around £57 million in real terms. Data obtained by the Fire Brigades Union from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre in 2023 showed that the SFRS has seen its funding levels cut by around £57 million in real terms since 2013. (Criminal Justice Committee, 4 September 2024, link)