CRAIG Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has slammed the SNP for overseeing cuts to the number of serving police officers in Lothian and Borders.
Mr Hoy’s criticism comes after new statistics showed that police officer numbers are at their lowest since March 2009.
Since the SNP’s merging of police forces into Police Scotland in 2013, there has been a reduction of 643 local police officers including 59 officers in Lothian and Borders.
Mr Hoy has said that frontline officers in Lothian and Borders are being treated appallingly by the SNP Government and that he is backing Scottish Conservative plans for a Local Policing Act to restore local patrols and ensure communities can have a say in local policing decisions.
He said: “Our hardworking police officers in Lothian and Borders work tirelessly to protect our communities, but they are doing so with one hand tied behind their back thanks to the SNP Government.
“Ministers simply aren’t giving our police the resources they need. It is clear that Police Scotland simply hasn’t worked for communities here in Lothian and borders with the loss of so many local officers since 2013.
“This is putting the safety of people in our communities at risk which is completely unacceptable.
“We need to properly support local policing efforts which is why I back Scottish Conservative proposals for a Local Policing Act to guarantee police will have the budgets they need and that local people are the heart of decision-making."
