Labour, Lothians MSP, Sarah Boyack has slammed the Scottish Government over cuts to Edinburgh’s police officer numbers.
From the end of 2020 to the end of 2023, the number of police officers in Edinburgh plummeted by over 300 from 3894 to 3556.
This comes as the Scottish Government has finished consultations on closing multiple Edinburgh Police Stations, including Balerno and Portobello.
Over the same period, Edinburgh has also seen a rise of over a 1,000 crimes or offences recorded, rising from 12,987 in 2020/21 to 14,017 in 2022/23.
Commenting on the figures, Ms Boyack said: “This fall in police officers is deeply distressing and leaving Edinburgh’s streets less safe.
“Edinburgh’s police force does a great job to keep us safe, but the Scottish Government is making them do it with one hand tied behind their back.
“Closing police stations and cutting officers are not going to help us lower Edinburgh’s crime rate.
“The Scottish Government need to reassess their plans and ensure that Edinburgh’s police force has the resources to do its job.”
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