Scottish Labour has accused the SNP of a “campaign of centralisation” as more than 1,000 local and regional police officers are lost.

This week a report revealed Police Officer numbers fell again last quarter. However, further analysis has revealed an even sharper drop in local policing.

While Police Scotland lost 29 police officers overall in the last quarter, local and regional divisions lost 82 officers – a drop partially masked by a rise in national police officers.

Since the start of 2017, when these records began, the combined number of local and regional police officers has plummeted by 1,073, with local divisions specifically losing a staggering 894 officers.

Meanwhile, the number of national police officers rose by 218.

Local cuts hit some areas especially hard, with Glasgow losing 242 local police officers since 2017 – nearly a tenth of their local police force.

Similarly, since 2017 the North East has lost 137 officers and Lanarkshire lost 104 officers.

Commenting, Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said “These stark figures lay bare the SNP’s ongoing campaign of centralisation in our police force.

“SNP cuts have gutted community policing and allowed crime rates to climb.  

“Visible, local police in our communities is key to preventing crime and improving community safety.

“The SNP must stop the cuts to local policing and make sure every force in Scotland has the officers it needs to keep our streets safe.”