Nearly 600 Police Scotland officers — 582 in total — are currently classed as not deployable because their mandatory annual officer safety training has lapsed, government figures released under freedom of information laws show.
The force said the figure represents 4.2 percent of its frontline cadre and excludes officers who are on a career break, long‑term absence or are deployable for desk duties only. The two‑day recertification course refreshes legal powers and safety procedures and is required before officers can be sent to emergencies or to cover large public events.
A Police Scotland spokesman said the current recertification rate stands at 95.8 percent and that "the safety of our officers and staff remains our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that all eligible officers complete the required training within the time frame." The force did not provide a timeline for when the outstanding training would be completed.
The disclosure prompted criticism from Scottish Conservatives, who said the figures exposed strains on frontline policing. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr said the numbers were "deeply alarming" and argued that cuts under the Scottish National Party (SNP) government had left communities short of policing resources, undermining the force's ability to respond to large events and emergency incidents.
The figures come amid wider concerns about policing capacity in Scotland. A survey published this summer found nearly two‑thirds of respondents were not confident local officers had the resources to prevent crime and only about a third believed the force could provide a visible local presence. Figures compiled by the Scottish Conservatives showed officers logged 4.5 million hours of overtime in the past five years, with overtime hours rising 7.5 percent last year to 773,151.
Scotland has seen an increase in recorded crime in recent years. Official counts show 487,674 offences were reported in the year to June 2025, roughly 56 offences per hour and an increase from 477,927 the previous year. Sexual offences, including rape, rose by 5 percent in the year to June 2025 to 15,129, up from 14,417 in the year to June 2024 and 9 percent higher than the year to June 2021, when there were 13,939. Crimes of dishonesty — a category that includes fraud, housebreaking and shoplifting — were recorded at 112,421 in the year to June 2025, a marginal increase from 112,384 the prior year and up about 26 percent from 89,259 in the year to June 2021.
Police Scotland has said it is taking steps to ensure officers complete required training, while political figures and policing bodies continue to debate resourcing levels and workforce pressures as recorded crime and demand for policing services have risen. The force has not indicated whether those officers will be redeployed once recertified or how shortfalls will be covered in the interim.