WIREDGOV

Commitment continues to be exceeded with over 1,000 extra officers.

The number of additional police officers in Scotland is being maintained at more than 1,000 compared to 2007, figures have revealed today.

The latest quarterly strength statistics show that there were 17,272 police officers on June 30, 2015, an increase of 6.4% per cent or 1,038 officers since March 31, 2007.

Commenting on the publication, Community Safety and Legal Affairs Minister Paul Wheelhouse said:

“Recorded crime is at a 40 year low, with violent crime down 52 per cent and crimes of handling an offensive weapon (including knives) down 62 per cent since 2006-07.

“These strong statistics are backed by over 1,000 extra police officers that this Government has delivered since 2007. However, on behalf of the Scottish Government I want to thank all the officers and their support staff within Police Scotland for all they do to prevent and detect crime, for protecting the public and for helping to ensure communities across Scotland are safer.

"This publication shows police officer numbers continue to exceed targets and demonstrates that, through working in partnership with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, we continue to honour the commitment we gave to the people of Scotland to deliver 1,000 additional officers.

“By contrast, in England and Wales police numbers have already fallen by over 15,000 since 2007 to their lowest level since 2001, and are expected to drop even further."