By Adam Morris
A drive to attract hundreds of new volunteer special constables working thousands of additional hours must not be used as an excuse to further reduce frontline numbers, it has been warned.
Police Scotland’s new volunteering strategy aims to increase the special constable ranks by 10 per cent a year.
But with the force facing cuts after a disappointing budget settlement, officers and opposition politicians warned that volunteers will inevitably be expected to fill the gaps left by fewer fully-paid cops.
There are 384 special constables in Scotland, who provided more than 55,000 hours of work last year. Their contribution is valued highly by bosses and rank-and-file officers alike.
However, the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said an uptick in volunteers contrasts sharply with the widely-held view that police officer numbers, which are already lower than in previous years, will slump further.
“Special constables play a very important role and if it wasn’t for them, in rural Scotland especially, there sometimes wouldn’t even be a response,” said David Threadgold, chair of the SPF.
“But we would have real issues if there was an increase in their number while the establishment figure went down, and the budgets for that are obviously not what they need to be.
“There is a part to play for specials, but absolutely not to the detriment of establishment frontline officers.”
The new volunteering strategy was approved at the turn of the year, and came amid concerns about the UK-wide reduction in volunteering, which has seen special constable numbers reduced from a high of 1,400 when Police Scotland was formed in 2013.
The role has been hailed for its contribution to policing, with experts saying that for every £1 invested, the return is worth 3.5 times more for the public purse.
David Threadgold, SPF chair
Many special constables also go on to become fully-fledged officers, or gain significant skills which can be used in other professions.
However, critics pointed to the recent Scottish Government budget settlement, which failed to meet the demands of Chief Constable Jo Farrell.
She received around £15 million less than she said was needed to “stand still” in terms of staff and officer numbers.
In February, 1919 reported that this could lead to around 550 “workforce modernisation savings”.
Scottish Labour’s justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said her party would create the roles of community and crime prevention officers, and put more officers on the streets.
“The SNP has failed Scotland’s communities and officers by allowing Police Scotland to shrink when the force is already at breaking point,” she added.
“It is welcome that action is being taken to increase the number of volunteer special constables, however this cannot be used as an excuse to not provide the force with the resources it needs to recruit officers in future.”
The Scottish Conservatives, who have also pledged more investment for the front line, were equally critical.
“In itself, it is right the force should try to increase the number of special constables,” said justice spokesperson Liam Kerr. “But we all know the reality.
“Officer numbers have been cut to the bone, and will likely reduce further as a result of the Scottish Government’s inadequate budget settlement.
“It’s an obvious conclusion that – with more volunteers and fewer fully-fledged and paid officers – lines will be blurred, and that will worry communities and officers hugely.”
Special constables technically have the same powers as professional police officers, and are expected to work a minimum of 16 hours a month.
They are typically used on patrols and in communities, often alongside establishment officers.
The Police Scotland plan also aims to increase the number of youth volunteers, who are widely praised for their involvement and contributed 32,000 hours last year.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said recruitment and deployment is a matter for the Chief Constable.
They added: “We hugely value the service provided by special constables to keep our communities safe and welcome this recruitment drive.
“The budget provides more than £1.7 billion for policing in 2026/27 – following record investment which enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than at any time since 2013.
“Scotland continues to have more officers per person than England and Wales.”