New calls for Edinburgh and Lothians to get 'fairer' number of police officers
Current police numbers in East Lothian ‘half the Scottish average’
New calls are being made for an increase in police numbers for Edinburgh and the Lothians amid growing concern about anti-social behaviour and a squeeze on community policing.
East Lothian council leader Norman Hampshire wrote to Justice Secretary Neil Gray this summer, highlighting increasing pressure on police services in the county, particularly the "reduced capacity for visible and effective community policing" and calling for the Edinburgh and Lothians area to receive a fairer share of policing resources.
But he said he was disappointed at Mr Gray's response, which he claimed did "not adequately address the legitimate concerns being raised by local communities".
And now community councils have written to the Justice Secretary backing the council calls for an increase in police numbers.
Cllr Hampshire's letter to Mr Gray pointed out that total recorded crime in East Lothian was now above the five year average and police were having to respond to more incidents, but police numbers were broadly unchanged despite the area having one of the fastest-growing populations in Scotland.
"The result is that a relatively static policing resource is being required to serve a larger population and respond to a growing number of incidents. Inevitably, this reduces the capacity available for visible community policing, early intervention and engagement with residents, schools, businesses and community organisations.East Lothian has experienced a concerning increase in antisocial behaviour in a number of communities.
“Although such incidents are sometimes described as lower-level offending, their cumulative effect on residents, businesses and neighbourhoods can be extremely serious. Persistent antisocial behaviour can leave people feeling intimidated in their own communities, undermine confidence in public services and damage the vitality of our town centres.
“We recognise the severe financial pressures facing the Scottish Government and Police Scotland, as well as the competing demands placed upon officers nationally. Nevertheless, the allocation of policing resources must properly reflect population growth, recorded incidents, local demand and the pressures created by rapid development.”
He urged the government to review the allocation of policing resources across Scotland to ensure that population growth and increases in demand are properly reflected, protect community policing teams from routinely being diverted to other tasks wherever possible, and consider giving the Lothians and Scottish Borders Division additional resources to recognise exceptional population growth across the Edinburgh city region.
In his reply, Mr Gray said the allocation, recruitment and deployment of police officers were operational matters for the Chief Constable, who was accountable to the Scottish Police Authority rather than directly to ministers.
“These arrangements are intended to safeguard the operational independence of policing and to ensure public confidence that decisions relating to policing are made free from political direction.”
Cllr Hampshire told the Evening News: “In my view, this response does not adequately address the legitimate concerns being raised by local communities about policing capacity and service provision in one of Scotland’s fastest-growing regions.”
Earlier in the summer, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh Labour MP Chris Murray said police numbers in East Lothian were about half the Scottish average. As of May 31, there were around 30 full-time equivalent (FTE) police officers per 10,000 people across Scotland. But in J Division, which covers East Lothian, West Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders, there were only around 16.3 officers per 10,000 people.
And in a letter backing Cllr Hampshire’s call for an increase in police numbers, the Association of East Lothian Community Councils (AELCC) highlighted the same point.
AELCC chair Malcolm Duck wrote: “This is, quite simply, unfair and unreasonable to expect that one of the fastest growing populations in Scotland should be running at half the police per head of population as the national average.”
And he continued: “We then have the increasing incidents of antisocial behaviour, at least in part as a result of lack of police resources to ‘nip in the bud’ the small number of repeat offenders who, in turn, benefit from the freedom to roam our bus networks at no cost.
“To be clear, we welcome the policy intent but not its unintended consequences which, in combination with a lack of policing, has created a new set of issues for previously peaceful county communities.
“We would welcome an explanation of when and how East Lothian will be treated to at least the same levels of policing resource as the Scottish national average.”