​Give our emergency services a fair deal - Ian Murray

​We rely on the bravery and dedication of our emergency service teams in our darkest moments. Whether that is a major fire burning down a home with a lifetime of memories, a serious crime being investigated by police, or calling 999 when a loved one needs an ambulance, we look to those on the frontline to help us in a time of crisis.

According to a report released by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) this week, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has seen a 22 per cent real terms cut in its budget over the past decade

Our hard-working police officers, firefighters and ambulance crews go above and beyond – they are the ones who rush towards danger, and they deserve our utmost respect and thanks. But, sadly, they are not getting the support they need from government.

According to a report released by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) this week, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has seen a 22 per cent real terms cut in its budget over the past decade. Capital budget freezes facing Police Scotland have delayed the roll-out of standard equipment that officers in England have, while officer numbers have fallen to the lowest level since the national force was created. At the same time police officers are engaged in back office administrative tasks rather than in communities.

Meanwhile, ambulance crews are forced to wait outside hospitals with patients stuck in their vehicles because A&Es are too overcrowded, and police officers are responding to more and more mental health callouts.

The impact of this crisis in our 999 services is already clear. In north-east Scotland, police no longer investigate some low-level crimes. And in south Edinburgh, I know that residents are frustrated with the level of break-ins, attempted robberies, and anti-social behaviour.

I have been liaising with local police chiefs, who have increased patrols and are providing advice to residents on how to make their homes more secure, but there is only so much that can be done when officer numbers and community policing is so depleted.

In other parts of the country, the cuts to emergency services are also having a devastating impact. On Monday, a fire ripped through a four-storey block of flats in Lochgelly, and in East Kilbride on Friday, six houses were destroyed in a quiet cul-de-sac.

According to the FBU, in East Kilbride the appliances that should have been available were not because of cuts. And in Lochgelly, high reach appliances which will soon be removed from service were crucial to fighting the blaze.

Meanwhile, since 2013, response times to fire service 999 calls have increased by nearly 20 per cent. Warnings from those representing frontline personnel must be heeded.

The Scottish Police Federation has warned: “People may die.” The FBU said: “We cannot go on like this.”

The first duty of any government is to keep its citizens safe. Finance Secretary Shona Robison now has a duty to give the emergency services a fair deal in her upcoming budget.

When police are warning that communities are going to be put at risk, and firefighters fear they won’t be able to tackle blazes, they must be listened to.

It is deeply regrettable that the SNP has mismanaged workforce pressures throughout the public sector – including in the NHS and schools – leaving every single Scottish institution weaker after 16 years of nationalist failure. This turmoil in our 999 services must be urgently addressed before lives are lost.

Ian Murray is MP for Edinburgh South and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland