The SNP have been accused of stretching Police Scotland to breaking point, following criticism of the force’s handling of the Alistair Wilson murder case.
Nearly 20 years after the Nairn banker was shot dead on his doorstep, his family have spoken out, accusing chief constable Jo Farrell of being “callous” and “insulting” towards them in media interviews about the investigation.
At First Minster’s Questions, Douglas Ross cited some of the complaints raised by the Wilson family.
Andrew Wilson, who was just four years old when his father was killed, said: “We question why our family is still being kept in the dark while Jo Farrell is basking in the media spotlight as she talks of building bridges and providing confidence to our family.
“We don’t know whether Jo Farrell has been confused or perhaps even caught in a lie, but she has certainly failed to reassure us that she has a grip on this worsening situation.”
The Scottish Conservative leader said that while the police had let down the Wilson family, the SNP Government had in turn let down the police by forcing them “to fight crime with one hand tied behind their back”.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “This case has been left unsolved for nearly two decades, spanning many chief constables and many government ministers.
“The Wilson family have raised concerns about the chief constable’s handling of this case but the Scottish Government is not powerless in this situation.
“While Police Scotland may have let down the Wilson family, this government has been letting down police officers too.
“Officer numbers are at their lowest level in 17 years. The SNP used to promise that they would put 1,000 more officers on Scotland’s streets, but numbers are now down by 1,200 compared to when the SNP created Police Scotland more than a decade ago.
“The number of Major Investigation Team Detective Inspectors, which investigate the most serious crimes including murders like those of Alistair Wilson, are down by a third.
“And Police Scotland are so stretched they are no longer able to investigate every crime.
“The SNP Government have left our police to fight crime with one hand tied behind their back and the results are inevitable.
“Violent crime is at its highest level in a decade and our prisons are so overcrowded that SNP ministers were forced to release prisoners en masse earlier this year.
“So does the First Minister agree with his deputy, Kate Forbes that under the SNP ‘the police are stretched to breaking point’?”
Notes to editors
The number of police Major Investigation Team Detective Inspectors has fallen by a third in two years. Major Investigation Team Detective Inspectors are tasked with investigating the most serious crimes including murder, rape and serious assaults. A Freedom of Information response revealed that the number had fallen from 21 in 2022, to just 14 in 2024. (Scottish Express, 19 September 2024, link).
Violent crime is at its highest level in more than a decade in Scotland. In 2023-24, the number of non-sexual violent crimes recorded in Scotland stood at 71,463. This was the highest number recorded since 2011-12. (Recorded Crime in Scotland, 25 June 2024, link).