Police cuts in Argyll and West Dunbartonshire are ‘not acceptable’, MSP Jackie Baillie has said.
There are 40 fewer police officers employed in the area than seven years ago, with the headcount falling from 545 in 2016/17 to 505 in the last year.
The wholetime equivalent has also fallen by the same margin, from 540.668 in 2016/17 to 501.768 up to December last year. This represents a fall of over 7%.
Meanwhile the number of civilian staff has remained broadly the same.
The statistics were released to the Dumbarton constituency MSP through a Freedom of Information request.
This follows concern by outgoing Chief Constable Iain Livingstone regarding Police Scotland’s budget under the SNP government.
He sent a letter to all Local Police Commanders earlier this year saying it was not possible for the levels of staffing currently available to continue to provide the existing service and that savings were necessary.
Ms Baillie said: “The outgoing Chief Constable has already taken aim at the government for underfunding and these local statistics show how this is playing out in communities across West Dunbartonshire, Helensburgh and Lomond.
“Police numbers have fallen over the last seven years and could be set to decrease even further.
“All of this come against a backdrop of violence and knife crime taking place in Balloch and serious vigilante incidents which have risked the safety of innocent people within our communities in Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven.
“The police acted quickly to bring this trouble under control but under finite resources, this cannot be sustained.
“It is not acceptable to reduce police numbers so significantly and expect our communities to remain as safe as they were with more officers. The SNP must make police workforce planning a priority and ensure communities are not at risk of greater harm due to their inaction.”
The MSP has also arranged an urgent meeting to help tackle disorder on Loch Lomondside, with agencies including ScotRail, Police Scotland, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, British Transport Police and West Dunbartonshire Council.
She has also invited the Community Safety Minister, Siobhian Brown, Transport Minister, Fiona Hyslop and the Minister responsible for National Parks, Lorna Slater.
Jackie Baillie said: “People who stay within Balloch and the surrounding areas deserve to be able to go about their business without the threat of violence on their doorsteps.
“The police and other agencies are all trying their best to tackle the disruption, but it escalated at the weekend with three reported stabbings.
“The scenes recently have been appalling and I am worried that this will continue and potentially become even worse as the summer continues.
“After the deaths which have happened on the loch and in the River Leven in recent years, it is unforgiveable that the troublemakers have damaged water safety equipment and drawn graffiti over warning signs.
“This could lead to people losing their lives and should not be tolerated.”
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