Humza Yousaf has been accused of making Scotland’s streets less safe due to his SNP Government’s underfunding of the police.
At FMQs, Douglas Ross highlighted the submission of Police Scotland to a parliamentary committee, which warned that the rollout of body-worn cameras could not be guaranteed, and that officer numbers could plummet by a further 2,000 in five years, due to budget constraints.
The Scottish Conservative leader pointed out that officer numbers were already at their lowest level for 14 years and called on the First Minister to reverse the cuts.
Police Scotland’s budget submission to the justice committee on Wednesday stated: “Our current capital allocation is among the lowest in UK policing… This is significantly short of the funding required to improve conditions and equipment for the wellbeing of officers and staff.”
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “Body-worn cameras are vital for police officer safety and to increase public trust.
“Humza Yousaf insisted in his Programme for Government that rolling them out next year was a ‘priority’ – but Police Scotland now say they can’t guarantee that because there is a £300million black hole in their capital budget over the next five years.
“Humza Yousaf didn’t deliver them as justice secretary and, now as First Minister, he is letting down officers again.
“Budgets are so stretched that the police say officer redundancies are on the table.
“On Humza Yousaf’s watch, officer numbers in Scotland are at their lowest level in 14 years. They started to slip when he was justice secretary, they’re in freefall now he’s First Minister.
“Without further funding from the government, Police Scotland warned yesterday that 2,000 officers could be let go within five years – with 600 off our streets by April.
“Under the SNP, Police Scotland is the last force in the UK to roll out body worn cameras, officers no longer have the resources to investigate every crime, their workplaces are not fit for purpose and now the number of officers could be cut by 2,000.
“The thin blue line will be barely visible at this rate. By cutting officer numbers, the First Minister is making Scotland’s communities less safe.”