(c) SWNS
According to the Scotsman today:
‘Scottish police officer numbers at lowest level in nine years. In the first three months of year, Police Scotland had the equivalent of 17,170 full time officers, according to Scottish Government statistics. The last time the number of officers was lower was in the first three months of 2009, when the total was 17,048.’
According to the Independent in January 2018:
‘Surges in knife and gun attacks drove an increase to 5.3 million crimes across England and Wales in the year to September 2017 – the largest rise since the introduction of a national recording regime in 2002. There was also more reported burglary, sexual offences, car theft and robbery, all coming alongside the mounting terror threat facing Britain. But in the same period, the number of police officers fell to 121,929, the lowest figure since comparable records began 22 years ago.’
These figures mean that Scotland has one police officer for every 314.5 people while England and Wales have one for every 470.8 people. One policeman in England and Wales is therefore responsible for 156.3 or 49.7% more people than his/her Scottish equivalent. Violent crime is, of course, falling in Scotland. See:
As crime falls, Scots feel safer than ever before
I think the Scottish Tories are having a wee meeting today with Scotsman and other journalists squeezed in to report every word.
Talking-up Scotland 
I read The Sun yesterday – I don’t need to explain, but I suppose I should apologise (though I didn’t buy it). Their front page article was that the number of police officers will be reduce in Scotland by 1,200 over the next 4 years. On reading the main part of the article, it transpires that over the next year, the number of officers may, repeat may, be reduced by 300, and if, repeat if, this were to be repeated in the three subsequent years, that would be a reduction of 1,200. Scottish journalism at its finest.
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Scottish journalism at its finest surely must be the Sun article about how to set fire to a baby box…
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Hi Big Jon – Did the Soaraway Sun employ labour’s House of Lords Scottish education spokesperson The Baron Mike Watson as Special Consultant for the article and video? – I understand he has some specialist knowledge in such matters.
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