Perthshire Conservatives have said the SNP Government should “prioritise” the protection and safety of residents following concerns over cuts to the number of police officers and firefighters in the region.
This follows recent announcements from Police Scotland which has warned that it could be forced to make compulsory redundancies of around 800 officers and staff across the country by April 2024, with the possibility that its overall staff could decrease by more than 2,000 over the next four years if police budgets are not increased.
Meanwhile, Scottish Fire and Rescue has said it may have to take 18 fire appliances off the road due to financial constraints.
Councillor Bob Brawn, is a spokesperson for Housing for the Perth and Kinross Conservative Group, with the Council’s Housing committee still having an oversight on Police and Fire Services.
He said: “Following recent announcements from Scottish Fire and Rescue that budgetary pressures are forcing them to remove vital equipment, we now hear Police Scotland are having to consider compulsory redundancies of 800 officers by April next year - and this at a time when we all want to see Police numbers rise.
“Our rural communities are rightly worried, and with pressure on the number of Police officers available, they will feel vulnerable to crime.
“Both these emergency services are under severe pressure due to budgetary constraints forced upon them by the current SNP administration who have an appalling record of wasting vast sums of public money on failed projects. As a result, they have undermined the institutions which form our much-respected emergency services. And when we factor in the state of the NHS, then the true measure of their inept management can be seen by all.
“Against all of this, the SNP Government continue with their separatist agenda. They need to be reminded that their first priority should instead be the protection and safety of our citizens.”
And Murdo Fraser MSP added: “Police Scotland are being forced to cut numbers at a time when people want to see numbers increase. With the Fire Service already discussing cutting some numbers and withdrawing equipment, we are seeing our emergency services systematically being decimated by the inept financial management of the SNP.
“If we then add on the state of the NHS, we can say that the institutions that form our emergency services are being left to fail, again due to financial mismanagement, resulting from failed projects by the SNP Government.”
