McArthur responds to Police Federation warning

Responding to the embargoed 1919 magazine story in which the Scottish Police Federation warn that police officer cutbacks and a decline in community policing leaves Scotland open to organised crime, extremism and terrorism, Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

“The SNP’s mismanagement of Scottish policing has laid the foundations for crisis.

“A botched centralisation that never delivered the savings promised by Ministers has undermined community policing as well as paved the way for a worrying increase in serious crime further down the line.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see an end to years of SNP failures. That must begin with the government finally heeding the urgency of these warnings and placing the welfare of officers and staff at the centre of decisions about the future.”