Scottish Police Warn of Prioritizing Emergency Calls Amid Funding Crisis

Police chiefs in Scotland have warned that the service may have to prioritize emergency calls amid a significant funding crisis, sparking fears of a "lawless" Scotland. Response times are expected to increase unless the Scottish government addresses a £110 million funding gap for Police Scotland, the single force established by the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2013.

Top officials stated that failure to cover unavoidable cost pressures would compel them to focus on 999 calls, resulting in longer waits for non-emergency assistance and a reduction in crime prevention efforts. This warning comes after the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), the civilian oversight body, indicated that additional funding is necessary to prevent the potential loss of over 1,200 police officers and staff.

Stephen Kerr, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, criticized the SNP government for failing to address rising crime levels. He argued that police officers cannot effectively keep communities safe when they are overstretched and under-resourced. Kerr urged John Swinney, presumably the First Minister, to provide the necessary funding to allow officers to focus on street-level crime prevention and public protection.

Police Scotland outlined these funding concerns in a submission to the Scottish Parliament's justice committee ahead of the December budget. The report highlighted that mental health incidents now consume the equivalent of hundreds of officers' time annually. Additionally, increasing demands from hostile state activity, cyber threats, protests, and organized crime strain specialist resources.

According to the report, without additional funding, Police Scotland will be compelled to prioritize statutory and emergency response activities. This would reduce the service provided to communities and limit the force's capacity for prevention, early intervention, and transformation. The report stated that demand for services does not decrease even with a lower budget.

Even a simultaneous pay and recruitment freeze, which would reduce the workforce by approximately 1,260 officers and staff during 2027-28 and save around £43 million, would not close the funding gap. The report noted that operational leaders would prioritize areas of greatest threat, harm, and risk, such as violence against women and girls, online child sexual abuse and exploitation, counter-state threats, community policing, and digital transformation. However, without adequate investment, Police Scotland's capacity and capability in these critical areas would still be constrained.

In the 2025-26 period, Police Scotland recorded over 230,000 mental health-related incidents, accounting for nearly one-fifth of all incidents officers attended. Approximately 85 percent of these incidents involved no crime, yet the response required the equivalent of 481 full-time officers. The force also reports responding to over 200 crimes and offenses against women and girls daily, describing the situation as an "emergency." Domestic abuse crimes alone have increased by 10.4 percent in the past year, reaching 24,018 incidents.

The threat from state-sponsored criminal activity is reported to be at its highest level, with specific mention of threats from Russia, China, and Iran. The report emphasizes that the threat from foreign states and their proxies endangers lives and undermines democratic values, stating that Scotland is not immune to these dangers and must strengthen its capacity to deal with them.

Furthermore, civil unrest, including protests, disorder, and violence, has increased. Last year, officers were deployed to 2,190 protests, a 19 percent increase from the previous year. Recorded crime statistics from the Scottish government show that community and public order offenses rose by 3 percent compared to the previous year and by 14 percent from the year ending June 2022. Police Scotland does not anticipate an end to this demand.

Workforce surveys indicate that only 29 percent of respondents believe their team has sufficient staffing to perform their jobs effectively. This situation follows a separate report from the SPA, which warned of "devastating" cuts without additional funding. The SPA's unprecedented warning also acknowledged a decline in public trust in the police service.

Scottish Justice Secretary Neil Gray stated that the government has invested a record £1.7 billion for policing in 2026-27. He added that the government will continue to work with Police Scotland and the SPA to understand their 2027-28 budget requirements, which will be considered during the Scottish Government's budget process.