CRAIG Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has voiced “deep alarm” at a “huge drop” in the number of special constables within the Lothians and Scottish Borders policing division.
Responses to Freedom of Information requests from the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party show that there were only 423 special constables available to Police Scotland as of September last year. That was a drop of almost 1,000 on the 1,394 who were volunteering across Scotland in 2014.
The response to the party shows how numbers have continued to fall since 2019/20. In Lothian and Borders there were 37 special constables in 2019/20 but that had fallen to 30 by 2022.
Mr Hoy says this is only adding to the pressures being faced by hardworking salaried officers in Lothian and Borders, with numbers at their lowest since 2008.
He added that special constables play a hugely important role in engaging with communities in East Lothian, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders and that SNP justice secretary Keith Brown must urgently outline how he will reverse this worrying trend.
He commented: “This huge drop in the number of special constables within the Lothians and Scottish Borders policing division is deeply alarming.
“Special constables play a hugely important role in engaging with communities in East Lothian, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, all in their own time.
“They also assist officers to detect crime and help to keep our communities safe.
“I am concerned that the centralisation of Scotland’s police forces has meant the role of special constables has become diminished.
“The Scottish Justice Secretary must urgently outline a plan as to how he will reverse this concerning and on-going downward trend in the number of special constables.”
