By Alan Roden
Scotland’s new Justice Secretary has vowed to cut the time wasted by police officers in A&E departments through earlier health interventions.
Neil Gray (pictured), who was appointed to the role by John Swinney following the recent Holyrood election, also committed to exploring ways to make the court system “more efficient” to reduce the impact on cops.
In his first major interview since starting the job, the SNP MSP told 1919 that a more “preventative” approach across public services is top of his agenda.
Gray said he recognised that increasing funding for Police Scotland would lead to more community policing, but insisted that Chief Constable Jo Farrell has the money she needs to maintain officer numbers.
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) welcomed the Justice Secretary’s pledge to tackle inefficiencies, but warned that “officers have heard similar commitments before”.
Gray was re-elected as MSP for Airdrie in May’s contest, with the First Minister shifting him from his role as health secretary to the justice brief – replacing Angela Constance who went in the other direction.
The 40-year-old, who is from Orkney, has a lengthy parliamentary career having served as an MP in Westminster prior to Holyrood.
Speaking exclusively to 1919, he expressed his “gratitude to serving officers and to the work that they do”, adding: “They have to deal with cases with growing complexity, not just in terms of the resolving of criminal cases and antisocial behaviour, but wider issues across society.”
Gray also said he recognises the operational “challenges” faced by officers.
“I can see that in my constituency work, and what I bring to local policing’s door as a constituency representative, but also what I can see in my work as Justice Secretary.”
Earlier this year, Farrell warned that officers “cannot continue” responding to mental health incidents and must instead prioritise the prevention and detection of crime.
There are around 700 mental health related calls every single day in Scotland.
Gray said of a more preventative approach: “Given the pressures that we are facing and the challenges that are being faced across a wide range of services, including and predominantly the police service, this is an area that is absolutely top of my agenda.”
“I recognise the need to move to a more preventative approach and the role that the police has to play in that is critical”
Justice Secretary Neil Gray
He added: “I hope it’s reassuring for those from the federation… but also the Chief Constable, having made the case so strongly for us to be looking to intervene differently with mental health cases and have a stronger health posture there, so that we’re not seeing officers in accident and emergency units as we currently do.
“There has been progress there, but there’s more for us to do.”
It has been one year since the publication of the Scottish Government’s framework for collaboration, which set out principles for a multi-agency approach to supporting people experiencing distress or crisis.
“I also recognise the need to move to a more preventative approach and the role that the police has to play in that is critical,” Gray said.
“There was an old adage in my health portfolio that the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] said that 80 per cent of that which drives poor health is outside the direct control of the health service, and I don’t know if it’s directly the same number, but I would approximate it’s similar [here].
“The prevention approach that we need to take has to come from across society.
“We need to tackle child poverty, we need to have consistent public services intervening earlier in order to ensure that an escalation in poor health, or indeed an escalation in criminality, can be avoided – and that is part of what I know Ivan McKee is leading on in terms of the public service reform approach.”
McKee is Gray’s ministerial colleague who has been put in charge of reforming the public sector by Swinney, with the aim of making it more efficient.
The courts system is one area under severe pressure, with a 22 per cent increase in warrants received from 2023 to 2025 – frequently taking frontline officers away from local communities.
1919 also revealed in March that cops are hand-delivering more than 400 court citations every day in Scotland.
Gray said such inefficiencies have been highlighted to him by the SPF.
He added: “I can’t promise that that is going to be something that I can change, because the running of the courts is clearly independent of government, but it’s definitely something that I’m happy to explore and look at whether there is anything that can be done to make the system more efficient – and to allow for the capacity within the police to be maintained, rather than people waiting on court.
“So it’s something that I’ve committed to exploring, and I’ll get back to the federation once I’m in a better position, having spoken to the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.”
Gray inherits the role amid ongoing concerns about Police Scotland’s budget. While Scottish ministers allocated an extra £90.4 million in day-to-day spending in 2026/27, that is nearly £15 million less than what the Chief Constable said she needed to simply “stand still” – and almost £50 million below what she asked for.
1919 analysis of modelling presented to parliament suggests the smaller uplift could require the force to find around 550 ‘workforce modernisation savings’ in the coming year, with numbers currently standing at around 16,500 full-time equivalent officers.
“I’m happy to explore and look at whether there is anything that can be done to make the [courts] system more efficient”
However, Gray insisted: “[The Chief Constable] has been clear that she has what she needs in order to maintain that 16,500 approximate figure.
“That being said, I recognise that with more resource comes greater opportunity to do, for instance, more community policing, more interventionist and early intervention work. I recognise that.
“So, of course, I’ll be discussing that with the Finance Secretary [Jenny Gilruth], and with Ivan McKee in terms of his public service reform approach, and how we can learn from police and fire reform in terms of wider public service reform – and how we can ensure that we are making [the] best of the changes that are coming down the track, so that policing and the wider justice system can be beneficiaries of that.”
Asked to describe his vision for community policing, Gray told 1919: “Visibility is important. So that foot patrol element, of course, is important, and communities appreciate that. There’s also an inherent deterrence that comes from foot patrols.
“However, this is an operational matter for the Chief Constable to lead on… so I’m not going to interfere in that, and I don’t think anyone would expect me to do so.
“What I do also recognise is the relationship benefit that comes from community policing, and I can see that in my own constituency, where we have community cops that are at community council meetings, are meeting with me regularly, are in schools, are going to other community groups.
“They are building relationships that then lead to greater intelligence, that then lead to investigations and resolving criminality and antisocial behaviour, so I absolutely recognise the benefit of community policing, and I know that that is an area that the Chief Constable is looking to prioritise as well.”
“Good intentions alone will not reduce the pressures on frontline policing”
SPF general secretary David Kennedy
In response to his interview, SPF general secretary David Kennedy said: “We welcome the Justice Secretary’s comments and his recognition that police officers are spending far too much time waiting in A&E departments instead of policing our communities.
“These are issues the Scottish Police Federation has been raising for many years, and it is encouraging to hear a commitment to address them.
“However, officers have heard similar commitments before, so the focus must now be on delivery. Good intentions alone will not reduce the pressures on frontline policing.”
He added: “Reducing the time officers spend in hospitals and making the justice system more efficient would have a significant impact on policing and the service the public receives.
“That requires meaningful reform across health, social care and justice, backed by investment and clear accountability.
“We look forward to working constructively with the Justice Secretary, but what officers and the public now need is action that delivers real and lasting change.”