Chamber and committees

I had an introductory meeting with the SFRS board chair and chief officer on 4 June, at which we discussed the overall objectives of the service delivery review and the consultation process that has been undertaken by the SFRS. I also met the SFRS deputy chief officer to discuss the service delivery review on 11 June. The SFRS board will meet on 22 June to take final decisions on which of the service delivery review proposals should go forward to implementation. Until then, no decisions have been taken.

I had an introductory meeting with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service chief officer and board chair on 4 June, when we discussed a variety of topics, including the concept of firefighters expanding the duties that they perform to do more to keep Scotland safe from harm.

I agreed to work closely with the SFRS and the Fire Brigades Union on developing how our manifesto commitment can be delivered by the end of this parliamentary session. I look forward to meeting them both in due course.

The social impact partnership model is an innovative way of using investment from local and national businesses in projects for community benefit, with the aim of achieving better outcomes for people by offering payment by results. That is a new concept for Scotland, so we will provide a £200,000 kickstarter fund this year to work with partnerships to bring forward ideas for preventative and early intervention programmes in justice, focusing on reducing reoffending and providing safe spaces for young people to divert them from antisocial behaviour and crime. If the SIP model works, we would want to roll it out to other priority areas.

Clare Haughey is absolutely right. We need to bring people with us and give them the flexibility to get in touch with services as they need them and in a way that meets their needs. The Scottish Government is fully supportive of Police Scotland’s efforts to ensure that a resilient and responsive C3 service is maintained and is accessible to all. Emergency calls must clearly take precedence over the reporting of potential criminal incidents. Police Scotland has been very clear that 101 is a non-emergency number. Callers are advised to phone 999 if the incident that they are reporting is escalating into an emergency situation.

Police Scotland’s contact assessment model ensures that resources are deployed to where they are needed most and that people receive the support required. We expect the record investment in policing to support effective, accessible services for the public and to ensure that communities continue to receive the prompt and reliable policing response that they deserve.

I reiterate that those decisions are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The day shift duty system is not a new concept; it is already being operated in Livingston and at multiple other locations across the United Kingdom. There are challenges with on-call firefighter recruitment and retention that are caused by demographic changes, particularly in rural and island areas. The SFRS has concluded that availability at night and at weekends is much better and that there tend to be particular difficulties during the day, which is because people no longer live and work in the same location. That is why having whole-time firefighters working during the day, which is also when the majority of incidents occur, is a viable and sensible solution.

Decisions on how resources are deployed, including the operation of contact, command and control—C3—services, are rightly matters for the chief constable, which reflects the operational independence of policing. Police Scotland has been very clear that 101 is a non-emergency number, and callers are advised of other means by which they can contact the service while they are on hold.

The Scottish Government is providing record funding of more than £1.7 billion for policing in 2026-27, giving Police Scotland the resources that it needs to maintain a resilient and responsive service, including the 101 service. We expect that investment to support effective, accessible services for the public and to ensure that communities continue to receive the prompt and reliable policing response that they deserve.

In the first instance, those efforts are being led by Police Scotland in the work that it is doing to reassure communities across Scotland. Work is ongoing in Government to ensure that we are able to protect and enhance communities, including minority ethnic groups and religious communities, across Scotland. That work will continue and intensify, and we will do it in the full knowledge that any further such incidents off the back of last night’s incidents will cause significant concern to communities across Scotland. We—not only this Government, but, I hope, this Parliament—will not tolerate fear and alarm being caused and want to support people to live well in this country.

I agree with Mr Kerr’s points. Of course, there is a right to protest and to organise peacefully, but that is not what we saw last night. We saw thuggery and intimidatory tactics seeking to divide communities. They will not succeed in Scotland.

Last night, I was in live dialogue with Police Scotland through my officials. To answer the final question, we saw a very clear response from Police Scotland, which stood up in very short order and showed that it does have the resources at its disposal to deal with such incidents. To answer Mr Kerr’s middle question, I am in constant dialogue with Police Scotland and expect further information from it on the outturn of the event. I seek continued reassurance that it is prepared for any further such disorder.

I understand the motivation behind Mr Smith’s questions. He will understand that Police Scotland, the Courts and Tribunals Service and the Crown are rightly independent of Government. However, what we are able to see from the footage that Mr Kerr and Mr Smith have alluded to speaks to the motivation behind last night’s organised thuggery.

I want to ensure that we continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to racism, hatred and division. Over many years, we have taken steps in Scotland to legislate to ensure that we have the fullest protections possible in place for people who choose to live here. I expect the full weight of the law to be applied to anyone who is prosecuted or convicted for any of last night’s incidents.

The actions of a very small number of individuals in parts of Scotland last night, which included the assaulting of police officers and members of minority ethnic communities, are shocking and unacceptable. Violence and racism have no place on our streets, and I utterly condemn the actions of the mindless few who were involved in the disorder and assaults that took place in Glasgow. What happened in Belfast is utterly horrific and unspeakable, and it will already have caused great concern, but the events that followed also caused distress and fear for all, and particularly for some communities.

I think that I speak for the whole Parliament when I express my gratitude to Police Scotland for its response last night. Police Scotland has since established a community reassurance cell, and officers are engaging with communities and stakeholders to understand and respond to their concerns. Police Scotland has also put in place appropriate plans to manage potential further protest activity, including the deployment of specialist public order officers, as required.

Let me be crystal clear: there is no place for racism, hatred and intimidation in our society, nor for the actions of those who seek to stoke those sentiments and division. Those beliefs and actions are not those of the vast majority of people who live in Scotland, who have values of being a welcoming and warm nation.